Don't Fear the Reaper Ssn 3
by MetallicAngel30
Summary: Sequal to DFTR SSN 2 How will the Club cope with Bella gone? How will Chibs? What will the retribution look like? AU All human Takes place in the SOA universe.
1. SO

**_A/N 11:25/2018: Season 3 has officially begun! And I actually had a lot of fun writing it. Especially the last scene. Got to stretch my medical knowledge a bit. Okay, I lied...I may have borrowed a bit from The Good Doctor. XD But I got to expand my medical knowledge a bit. Looked up the procedure and while it's a little extreme, it does work, so there! I hope y'all enjoy, and please leave a review, letting me know what you think!_**

It had been mere days since Jimmy O'Phalen and Fiona Larkin had kidnapped Bella and her unborn child. And everyone in the Sons MC was feeling it. Jax and Angela didn't let Abel sleep anywhere other than between them at night. Jax not even trusting either out of his sight. He had even fought with Clay over that point. Gemma had received a call from her father's care-giver. It seems that since her father had been told of Rose's death, his dementia had taken the fast track.

But Chibs was the worst off. He spent all of his time now in the nursery he and Bella had been putting together furiously in the past two months. The room still smelling of the fresh paint, the crib and changing table both half put together, because he tried to manly put them together without the instructions as she looked on laughing, and gave up because he couldn't read Cantonese. His eyes were bloodshot from no sleep, the bottle of alcohol in his hand and a joint being steadily smoked away as he fought back the emptiness that consumed him.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Bobby knocked on the church door, where Clay was sitting at the head of the great redwood.

"Laroy called. They found the guy," he tells the president.

"Okay. You talk to Tig?" Clay asked. Izzy's abduction had hit the killa hard. They had grown close since she had forgiven him.

"Yeah. He's taking Gemma to visit her father. He seems to be going quick."

"She staying for the funeral?"

"You really think she'd miss it?" Bobby asked. "Kid put himself between Jimmy and Abel. He's next to God in her book."

"Yeah." He snuffed his cigar and got up, walking into the clubhouse. "Where is he?"

"PD let him back into the house yesterday," Charlie said.

"Let's go get him. Jax?"

"He and Ange headed over there first thing this morning," Opie told him.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Angela opened Chibs' door to see Clay standing there and immediately moved aside. "He's in the nursery," she mumbled. Opie squeezed her arm lightly in comfort before he and the others followed Clay. They found Chibs laying in the middle of the half finished room. Charlie growled and stormed forward, pulling the Scot up by his arm.

"Get up!" he ordered as Jax helped stabilize the inebriated man. "We've got info on Bella. Laroy found a guy who made I.D.s for the Irish bastard and his bitch."

Chibs looked at Charlie through hazy eyes, still rather drunk and half high. Charlie sighed at the broken proud man he held up and looked to Jax. "Shower. Come on," he said, hauling him up. Jax and Charlie all but dragged Chibs to his bathroom, where they put him under the ice cold spray.

"You are no good to my daughter sitting here on your ass allowing the pain and numbness to swallow you whole," Charlie said harshly. "Clean yourself up and meet us out in the living room. We're going to find my kid and yours."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Angela saw Charlie stomp into the living room, figuring that he got Chibs to make himself presentable, and figured this was the time to talk to Clay.

"Can I- Can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked.

"Sure," he said, pushing off the arm of the couch he was leaning against as she led him to Callum's nursery.

She paced for a moment to gather her thoughts after they entered. She even started moving a few of the crib pieces.

"What's on your mind?" Clay asked.

"Hale pushed it back as far as he could but I have to talk to Stahl and the F.B.I. today. Tell them what I saw. Probably field questions on Zobelle and his people," Angela said.

"Okay."

"Well, I wanted to ask Jax about what I should say, but he seemed worried enough about me and Abel that-"

"Tell them as much of the truth as you can. We want everybody looking for Izzy. Just give them the basics of what you know. Feds know who Jimmy and Fiona are, their real IRA ties. All you have to do is leave out the details about our association."

"But if those details help find them-"

"They won't. Jimmy and Fiona took Izzy because Jimmy has a thing about hurting Chibs. That's all."

Angela huffed at Clay's explanation, but took it. "Hey, you've done good, sweetheart. You've really stepped up. You're the best thing that happened to Jax. We're all so glad you're around." He kissed her forehead in a fatherly manner as she smiled.

Clay turned and exited the nursery, only to see Chibs coming towards him, looking more put together, and straightening his kutte. Clay embraced his brother tight, offering him his support.

"Can you ride?" Clay asked.

"Aye. Give me a minute, though. Want to speak with the lass," he said, nodding to Angela. Clay gave him a warning look and Chibs understood it. He wasn't blaming Angela, and he wanted to reassure her of the fact. He entered the nursery, this time somewhat sober and looked around.

"I'm sorry, Chibs. I'm so sorry. I told her I didn't feel right-"

"I don't blame you, lass. Not a single thing about this lands on your shoulders. We- I had no right asking you or Izzy for any of this."

"Asking us for what?" Angela asked.

"Wanting you to stay, be a part of what we are. The relationship that Izzy and I struck up, the one you and Jax have, they both went from zero to sixty in a blink. We obviously didn't think shit through. What it might do to other people," Chibs explained.

"Don't. You have no right to warp our decisions like that. To diminish them. We both decided to stay because Bella adores you. And I love Jax with everything I have," Angela said angrily.

"Aye. And I worship the ground she walks on. I'm selfish enough to want to hold on with both hands and beg her not to go."

"There you go! Use that selfishness, and find her. Find your woman. And I'll do you one more favor. This conversation never happened. Your moment of self doubt is done. Here in your son's room. Because you need to be here for him. Your miracle child. And Izzy, who stuck by you through you even getting blown up. But if you try this shit again-"

Chibs immediately wrapped her in a tight hug with a small chuckle. "Aye, lass. I understand. Thank yeh."

"Mmph. Good. Now get off me you great lug. I need to blow off this anger you've got me in. Call Liam. He was on the first flight out to Ireland when he got the news. He may have something. And call Jasper. The man isn't without his contacts either." Chibs grouched. When the club had met after Bella was taken, Jasper had explained his reasoning behind saving Abel instead of Bella. Said that not only did he not have a clear shot to Bella, but that she would never forgive him if he had saved her and let them take a defenseless child. She at least could search for way to escape. Abel most likely would have eventually disappeared into the Irish childcare system.

"I still don't like the man, but I won't turn down resources," he grumbled. "And thank you, Angela."

"Go!"

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

The Sons and Laroy were waiting for one of the Niners to meet them. Escorting a man who had run in to Jimmy. Didn't take long before a dark sedan pulled up.

"This the guy?" Clay asked.

"Yeah, that's him," Laroy replied. A squirrelly man was pulled out of the back seat and they all met up with him. "Hey. Tell them what you know."

"Uh- I think I did some work for the Irishman you're looking for," he said uncertainly.

"Is that him?" Juice asked, holding up a photo. The man leaned in to take a better look and nodded.

"Yeah, that's him."

"What kind of papers?" Clay asked.

"Irish passports for him, his wife, and a dark skinned woman-"

"Bastard is trying to leave the country. Did you just say wife? The dark skinned bitch is his wife," Chibs growled at the man, who shook his head.

"He said he wanted one for him, one for his pregnant wife, and one for a family friend," the man said timidly.

"That son of a-!" Chibs lunged but Charlie tackled him, wrestling him back from their informant.

"Chibs! You aren't going to get any information from him if you beat him to a bloody pulp. Calm down!" Charlie said.

"What name is he using?" Clay asked as he watched Charlie attempt to control the Scot.

"Timothy O'Dell. The girl is Elizabeth, and their 'friend' is Kelly Calhoun. Belfast address."

"Where did you meet this guy?"

"Chinatown."

"Any public marina's nearby?" Clay asked Laroy.

"Alice Street."

"I'll call our friend, see if a Timothy O'Dell's got a boat there," Juice said.

"Thanks, Mr. Magoo," Clay said as Laroy's man led him away.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Jacob Hale knocked on his brother's office door, or rather, what was his office door, and walked in. "I hear you're moving offices," he said proudly.

"Yeah. It'll be official next Thursday," David said.

"That's good. You deserve it."

David looked at his brother for a moment, knowing that, though he loved his brother, he didn't like his slimey politician's side. "Thanks. So, what do you need, Jake?"

"It's been a rough week," he said, shutting the office door.

"Yeah."

"That shit with Zobelle… I'm sorry," Jacob said.

"Doesn't matter now. He's offically been labeled a rat. BOLO went nationwide, not to mention INTERPOL is combing Budapest for him."

"I saw an opportunity I thought could help this town," Jacob defended.

"Yeah, I know. So how are the mayoral plans shaping up?" David asked.

"Well, it looks like it's me and Oswald in the primary. No one on the Democratic ticket. Primary is the race."

"Think you can beat him?"

"I don't know. He's got money, got a lot of relationships. I'm going to need the Chief of Police in my corner," Jacob said, this last part hesitantly.

David sighed, knowing this was coming. "I'm with you, Jake."

"That's good to know, brother," Jacob said with a nod and a smile.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

The Sons pulled up to the marina on Alice Street, calling ahead to make sure Timothy O'Dell's vessel was still moored there. They weren't disappointed, seeing it tied to a floating dock not too far from the entrance.

"Unser said it was Slip 39," Juice said, confirming Clay's suspicion.

"Nobody get's past here," he said, stationing Happy and Juice just to the side of the floating dock.

It was Bobby and Charlie who got onto the boat, Charlie kicking down the small door to the cabin below and looking in. Didn't take him long to come back up, declaring that the boat was empty.

"Rip it up. Got to be something," Clay ordered.

Chibs was looking hard at anything that had been laid out on the docks and his attention was caught when he saw the flash of a shine. He made his way to a small pile of fishing nets and his heart dropped when he found the object winking mockingly at him from mere inches away. It was Bella's ring. The simple yet beautiful moonstone ring they had bought together only weeks before. His hands were shaking as he bent to pick it up, cradling it in the palm of his hand. He looked up to see Clay looking at him in sympathy. A pain, one of losing a dear friend, lingering in his own eyes. Chibs walked to the end of the floating dock and looked out to the wider area of water, praying his woman and his son were safe.

"Found a receipt from the marina," Bobby said maybe 20 minutes later. "Paid cash. Couldn't find nothing else."

"Needle's on empty. He wasn't planning on a sea voyage," Charlie said wryly to Clay, who was sitting on a few lobster crates.

"Let's put this piece of shit out of commission," he said. "Quietly."

"Absolutely," Jax said as he and a few others started putting silencers on their pistols. They all looked up to see a couple of men, a bit shady for the area, walk towards them, though they slowed seeing the MC next to the boat.

"Who are these fine dark fellows?" Clay asked.

"Looking nervous," Happy pointed out as the two men turned and began walking away.

"Check it out," he sad. The others going to do as he asked, and Chibs staying behind, thinking over the ring he was playing with, rubbing it gently but firmly between his fingers.

"He's totally gone, man," Bobby tells him, looking at Chibs.

"I got this," he said, taking Opie's silencer and walking to him, just as the two men began running from the MC. Clay walked up behing Chibs and took the ring.

"What are you doin'?" Chibs demanded, reaching for the ring. Clay held it out of his reach and shoved a pistol with the silencer in place into his chest.

"Let's make sure she doesn't go for any more boat rides." Chibs takes the gun and fires seven shots into the keel, calm as you please. It did nothing to alleviate his turmoil as he handed the gun back to Clay.

"Give me the ring," he demanded.

"I'll give it back when we find her. You can propose all over again. Cause, brother, we are going to find her," Clay said with conviction. "You hear me?"

They both turn to focus on the parking lot, hearing tires burn rubber on pavement. Then they run to their bikes, hearing their brother's follow. Doesn't take much to follow their trail. With all of the cars they cut off halted at odd angles. The two men in the car barreled through a fence and Opie got caught in the barbed wire.

"Go! I'm all right!" he yelled at the others as they slowed to help him. The sped up again, but Jax stopped to help him. Opie repeated himself, but Jax ignored him, untangling his leg from the wire.

"Thanks brother."

They caught up with the others outside of a house, both sides just starting a stand off. Well, the men they were chasing had guns out anyway, demanding they put the guns they managed to pull down.

"Just a friendly visit, boys," Clay said, taking off his helmet and getting off his bike.

"Oh, yeah? Then why'd this asshole try to blow our heads off then?" asked one of the men they had been chasing.

"Just trying to get your attention," Bobby said, unapologetically.

"Oh, well, you got it now, bitch!" he yelled at him, aiming his glock at Bobby's head.

"I got his attention," Bobby said to Clay.

"I see that. Now what?"

"We weren't after you at the docks," Bobby said. "Red boat, beater? Looking for the guy who owns it."

"We own that shit now."

"The guy that did own it," Chibs put it, looking at the men, not even trying to hid the desperation in his eyes. "He kidnapped my fiancee. She's seven months pregnant with my son." The second man they were chasing, wearing a white wife-beater, held up his hand and lowered his gun, signaling to the others that they should do the same.

"Irish dude?" he asked

"Aye."

"Three days ago, said he needed some quick cash. Met him down at the docks with the boat, some AKs. Told us where to find the car, but he didn't have a pregnant woman with him."

"What about a dark skinned woman?" Chibs growled. "She killed a friend and nearly tried to kidnap an 8 month old baby at the same time."

"Saw her with him. Wild eyes. Like she was looking for an escape route," the man said.

"She would be. Once they get back to Ireland, she's disposable," Chibs said, looking to Clay briefly. "Thanks."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Angela was in an interrogation room with Stahl and one of her fellow agents, trying to remain calm, though it didn't help her fraying nerves that they kept going over the same material like a broken record.

"And where were you as Jimmy was restraining Isabella?" the agent asked.

"I was trying to stem Half-Sa- Kip's bleeding chest wound."

"And that's when Fiona grabbed Abel from you?"

"Yes."

"And they didn't say anything to you? About why they were taking the two of them? About guns? Ransom?"

"No."

"The smallest detail can help us," the agent pressed.

Angela sighed in frustration. "He forced me into the living room, tied me up, then they left with Abel and Bella. Neither said a word. Seemed the bad guy for once was smart and didn't monologue." Angela looked up at Stahl, who she figured didn't believe her, but what else was new, and held her gaze.

"Do you know the where abouts of Ethan Zobelle or his daughter, Polly?" Stahl asked out of the blue.

Angela was a little shocked at the change in questioning, who wouldn't, but answered anyway. "No. Haven't seen them in weeks, though it doesn't help we traveled in very different circles."

"No. I suppose not."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"The CHP, the sheriffs, got nothing new on Izzy. It's not looking good. Sorry," Unser said.

"Did you run the name?" Clay asked.

"No Timothy O'Dell in the San Joaquin database. Or a Kelly Calhoun." Clay sighed. "I'm going everything I can."

"I know you are," Clay reassured him. They saw Stahl and Angela exit the PD and Unser had to hold Clay bad with a hand on his chest at the way he wanted to storm up to Stahl.

"Hey. Hey! You ain't no use to your family in a federal lockup."

Stahl stopped for just a moment to talk to her agents before she continued to follow Angela.

"You okay?" Unser asked Angela.

"Yeah," she said lightly, smiling at him.

"I'm fine, too, thanks," Stahl said sarcastically. Angela rolled her eyes at her to Unser before she continued to her car. "You know, I find it very hard to believe that you never bumped into Jimmy O or Fiona Larkin before the other day. He's been in town for months running guns for your future father-in-law."

Angela shrugged. "That's your problem. You're so suspicious of everyone, you can't see the truth when it smacks you in the face. Though, given what Otto did to your face, I can understand you not trusting such a smack if it happened. It'd be best if you stayed out of my business, Agent Stahl," she said as she went to open her door. But Stahl shoved it closed.

"Or what, little girl, hm? Or you're gonna have one of Jax's boys gun me down?" she challenged.

Angela gave a snort of derision. "That's your game, not mine. But I'm sure your supervisor would love to know your intimidation tactics. A harassment complaint on your already tarnished record could end your career in a heartbeat. Luckily, Bella says I'm too nice for my own good. Too forgiving. A bad habit from my father that needs breaking. I'm sure Gemma would be more than happy to help me with that. Last time, Agent Stahl. Stay away from my family." Angela's smile dropped completely at the last sentence. Her eyes going cold, and for once, Stahl took this smiling, air headed, reverend's daughter seriously. Angela got into her car, and pulled out, casting a look to Clay, who gave her a soft look that turned to a smirk when she winked at him.

"Well, Gemma trains 'em well, I'll give her that," Stahl said, walking over to Clay.

"Unser said you really pissed off the FBI. Stepped all over their pretty little case. A three year neo-Nazi sting down the tubes."

"Lot of bad guys out there. Sometimes the pursuit gets a little messy, you know?"

"So that's why your bosses pulled you off the Irish? Because it got a little messy? You played a dangerous woman. You know how well connected Fiona was. How connected Jimmy was. Letting them walk, instead of holding them for at least the 24 hour time limit. Hell, with your strings and Jimmy's background, you could have done what you did with Bobby and held them for at least 14 days under the terrorism act. But because you didn't get what you wanted. Because you wanted to get back at Fiona for ruining your own little...mini operation, a beautiful, innocent, young, expectant mother is missing, and a veteran of our military was killed. A kid not even 30. Anything happens to that girl, anything, and I promise you, I'm going to shove a gun barrel so far up that bony ass of yours and I'm going to blow your black heart out," he said, getting into her face. His voice pitching so low he practically growled.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Jax entered his house and looked around, smiling in relief when he heard Angela playing with Abel in his nursery. After Bella had been taken, he had been worried that she would take on too much of the blame, when none of it was her fault. Going into Abel's room, he sees her and his son playing with blocks. Angela looks up and gives him a smile.

"Hey."

"Hey," he replied as he kneels down by them, taking one of Abel's hands and letting the infant grip it as hard as he could.

"You know, I had a thought earlier," she said hesitantly.

"Yeah?" Angela nodded.

"Do you ever regret it? Having me in your life? In the MC's life?" she asked.

Jax looked at her in surprise, wondering where this was coming from. "Not once. You and Abel are the two things I am proud of in my life."

"It's just- We jumped into this really fast. I don't think either of us really thought it out before we did."

"Hey," he said, putting a hand on her arm. "Where is this coming from? You aren't- You aren't thinking about leaving us are you?" Jax's heart stuttered painfully at the thought of Angela doing what Tara did. Leaving and not looking back until there was something to gain from it.

"What?! No! Jax, no, I'm not leaving. Never," she rushed to reassure him. The knot in his chest eased. Then she sighed. "Chibs and I had a talk when you guys came to get him. He said that he and you had no right to ask us to be a part of this life, but that you were too selfish to let us go."

"He's right. But I'm not stupid enough to bring it up. What did you say?" Jax asked curiously.

"I may have yelled at him. Told him he had no right to diminish our choices. But Jax, I just want to make sure you are sure. Because I am. After I left Forks, I was terrified that I wouldn't find what I was supposed to do with my life. I had cut my strings with my parents, and the future I had planned… college, a career… it all disappeared. But then I met and fell in love with you. And I found my purpose. Gemma actually helped me with that. I found what I was supposed to do. I'm here to be a mother to Abel. Your old lady. You and Abel are the answer to what I was put here to accomplish."

"Me?!"

"You, Jackson. You in all of your outlaw, biker, cowboy glory. It doesn't matter if you stay VP under Clay and keep running, or become President and clean things up. I'm here for you. We don't know who we are until we're connected to someone else," she said, cupping his cheek. "We're just better human beings when we're with the person we're supposed to be with. I'm not leaving. I belong here."

Jax leaned in and kissed her over their son. Gently and full of love. "I'm serious, baby. You're it. You're my woman. The mother of my son." Angela smiled beautifully at him, touching their foreheads as they both looked down at a smiling Abel.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

It was Half-Sac's wake, and every member of the Sons and their allies turned out. Jacob and David Hale were both impressed, but for very different reasons.

"It's unbelievable," Jacob said to his brother. "Archbishop Dome didn't get this kind of turnout when he passed."

"Makes folks a little nervous when they see SAMCRO vulnerable," David said. "It's not supposed to happen to them in Charming."

"Well they should get nervous. See these scumbags for what they really are." David looked at his brother and sighed in disappointment. He couldn't see that the Sons were a far cry from what they were nearly a year ago. Just that they were an unwanted thorn in his side he'd dig out with a chainsaw if needed.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Thanks for coming down," Bobby tells Kozik.

"Yeah. Sorry about the prospect. I liked that little guy," he replied.

"I was just telling Kozik that we need bodies around our table. We're so deep in our shit, forgetting to grow club ranks," Clay tells his members.

"Got three hanger-ons we can bring up. Filthy-Phil, Shepard and Miles," Opie tells Clay.

"Good."

"Happy and I are tired of nomading. He'd rather land here than up north. And when we get my girl back, with her being Chibs' old lady, there's no where I'd rather be," Charlie said.

"You're both welcome additions," Clay said. He then turns to Kozik. "Tell them."

"Tacoma's growing a little thick. I was hoping to jump to a smaller charter."

"You thinking about coming back to Charming?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, gonna put in a request to transfer next church," Kozik said.

"That in's on Tig, brother."

"We'll make it happen," Clay promised.

"All right, man," Kozik said, leaving to pay his respects.

"We will?" Bobby asked.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Chibs was standing next to Half-Sac's casket, a kutte with a full reaper on the back and the rocker proclaiming the Sons of Anarchy stitched new, laying across it. His military picture laid at the head. He took a deep breath and rapped his fingers against it in goodbye, turning just as Jax and Angela came in with Abel.

Jax took his son as Angela stepped up to the casket, and knelt to send a prayer. Jax came up behind her and laid a hand on the kutte. Angela stood once she was finished. Kissing her fingers and laying them on the coffin. Clay ran a hand down Angela's hair and she turned into him, crying for a bit and drawing comfort from a man who had become more of a father to her in their brief interactions with each other, than her real father was. After gaining that comfort, she dried her eyes as best she could while still crying and took Abel.

"I'll leave you two to talk," she said softly.

"Made it through Iraqi minefields, only to be taken out in a goddamn living room," Clay said, sighing heavily. "How you holding up, son?"

"I'm okay. Thankful. I am both upset that Jasper saved Abel, and pissed he didn't save Izzy. I feel guilty for feeling relieved he saved my son rather than the pregnant old lady of a brother."

"Hey, he made the right call. Bella is smart, she'll find a way back to us. Her and her son, both. That doesn't mean we're not going to keep looking though. Jasper and Liam have mobilized the Coven. I have no doubt we'll have them back in a week. Maybe less," Clay said.

"We better, because I don't think Chibs will last that long without her," Jax tells him.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy wrestled with a struggling Bella into a decently furnished house in Belfast, Ireland. Her hands were bound behind her and there was a gag over her mouth, not that she tried speaking anyway. She struggled as best she could before Jimmy took hold of her hair and pulled, hard, guiding her onto a couch in the living area.

"Now, lovey. We could do this the easy way or the hard way. I would much rather not have to hurt the mother of my son," Jimmy said. Bella stared hatefully at him before she began to chuckle. She chuckled until it became a full on laugh.

"Yooo arre hooo huckd," she said around the gag.

"What was that, dear?" he said innocently, taking off her gag. Bella let out a deep breath as he did so before answering.

"I said, 'you are so fucked.'" she laughed.

"And why do you think this? So sure that the Sons will come and save you? Your precious Filip? Bastard is bloody terrified of me," Jimmy smirked. Bella only laughed more.

"Filip?" she laughed. "I love the man dearly, but he's a bunny compared to who's now hunting you. Fiona's little gunshot was a love tap. You think Liam was in America by accident?" she taunted. Jimmy froze. "That's right, you impotent son of a thrice damned pus filled cunting whore," she whispered. Jimmy snapped and slapped her hard. Bella's head jerked to one side at the force. She was stunned for but a moment before she turned back to him with hate filled eyes.

"However many marks you put on me. Aro, Caius, and Marcus Volturi will serve back to you ten fold," she said menacingly as he and Fiona paled. "Jane and Alec Volturi will use your intestines for a jump rope. Jasper and Peter Whitlock will use you for target practice. The Marauders are closer. I'm sure Fred and George Weasley would love to test out new products on you. I hear some of their joke products were banned due to injuries children sustained in Scotland and England."

"Impossible," Fiona snapped. "There's no way you would know that many MCs. That many influential people."

"Oh, but I do, Fiona. And you left a witness. Proof that it was you who took me. Doesn't matter if you get free of Jimmy here. You're a hunted woman for the rest of your life, short as it now is. I don't have to try to escape. I just have to sit back and wait." As if. She wanted away from these two psychos ASAP.

"And what's stopping us from ripping the boy out of you and leaving you for dead," Jimmy said threateningly. Though the effect was greatly diminished by his pale complexion and frantic eyes.

"It's the both of us that are the bargaining chip, James. Either one of us ends up dead, it's a long slow torture for you. You'd stop begging to be put to death long before they actually grant it." Jimmy and Fiona looked at each other and for once, Jimmy's face mirrored Fiona's.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

All of the mother charter of the Sons were just leaving the funeral home. Each taking comfort in their women's arms. Both Hale brothers were leaving. The outside was packed with mourners and friends of Half-Sac's. It was Jasper, not surprisingly enough, that saw the van first. It slowed, and he reacted as he saw the masked men behind the wheel.

"Everyone down!" he shouted as loud as he could, pushing Piper and Lyla down and grabbing a young blond boy next to them as people left and right hit the deck just as bullets were sprayed out of the side of the panel van. The funeral goers began screaming as the police present returned fire. Unser getting two through the front windshield. The driver of the van picked up speed once again, throwing the shooter at the sliding door from the van as his accomplices sped away.

Hale was beside his jeep and began firing his own weapon, but didn't get out of the way in time. He was his on his left side and he went flying back over the hood of his vehicle. Jax, Kozik, and Clay continued to fire at the vehicle. Chibs went to help Chucky, who had been hit in his right arm. The boy Jasper had pulled down looked dazedly at the former soldier, his mother looking between her son and the wall they had been standing near. A small bullet spray hitting just at the height his stomach would have been at. She crawled to her son and pulled him into a tight hug, thanking Jasper all the while over and over again, for saving him.

"Oh, my boy! My baby boy," she kept repeating, over and over as she continually looked him over for any other hurts.

The officers with Unser subdued and cuffed the man who had fallen out of the van, but Chibs had lost it then. He needed an outlet. A violent outlet. He charged the officers, pushing them away before he began wailing on the shooter. Slamming his head into the concrete over and over again as the officers once more drew their weapons. But they did nothing more than that. It was Clay and Jax who pulled him off the man, struggling to keep him under control.

Unser and Jacob Hale then ran to the fallen David Hale. He checked the young soon to be Chief's pulse and found it, just barely. "Get a doctor here!" he called.

Carlisle, who had been down for the funeral, and to help in Bella's search, rushed forward and bent to examine David.

"Subdural hematoma. Rose, I need a bus," he shouted at his daughter, examining his head wound. He pulled a stethoscope from his pocket and checked his breathing. "Paradoxical breathing. Indicates a pneumothorax, I need a blade. 5 inches or longer, a small hose and a bottle, no, two of alcohol! Now!" he yelled at those around him. The knife was easy to come by. Every Son carried one. He took Jax's. Opie produced a small hose and Bobby the alcohol. Carlisle poured one onto Hale's chest and slipped on the gloves he carried in his pocket, measuring down the mid axillary line to his second intercostal space, and sliced into it.

"What the hell are you doing!" Jacob Hale demanded.

"Your brother's lung has collapsed and he has air trapped in his chest cavity. I'm relieving the pressure. Now shut up and let me work!" Carlisle poured half of the second bottle out, cut the tube, and made a cap with another glove with two openings. One small tube went in one hole and with the longer tube, put one end in the second bottle opening, and inserted one end of the tube into it as he inserted the other end into David's chest. The younger Hale took a deep breath, indicating his second lung inflating again. Carlisle relaxed minutely as he continued to assess David.

"Won't the alcohol in the bottle get into his lung?" Jacob asked worriedly. Carlisle shook his head.

"No. Fluid and Pressure Dynamics 101. The tube allows the air out of his lung, the alcohol keeps it from going back in."

"A home made one way pressure valve," Rose said. "We'll need to keep an eye on his Echo. We don't want that pressure finding another outlet. Best to check for Cardio Effusion too, since this is all on his left side."

"And that is..." Clay asked.

"Fluid build up inside the sack containing the heart. Makes it hard to beat," Carlisle said quickly as the EMTs arrived. "We'll see you all at St. Thomas. I relieved the pressure in his chest. Now I need to relieve the pressure on his brain."


	2. Oiled

_**A/N 12/4/2018: Hey guys. I think for this season, I'm just going to do the entire episode in one chapter. At least y'all will get some meaty content. lol It'll take a bit longer to write and with all of the overtime I'm getting at work... well...things are just interesting to say the least. I hope y'all are happy with this one. Things are getting a bit tangled with the characters, so I'm relying on you guys to tell me if something is wonky, okay? Many sets of eyes are always better than one. Another thing. I'm adding another name to my list! You know, the list of fanfics I need to write/finish after this one, though this one is my main one for now. Now... I'm thinking of a Hobbit fic. Thoughts. Should it be a twi/ hobbit cross? With Bella with one of the Durinsons? or an OC? Please tell me! I need help! lol**_

Jimmy walked into the church where he knelt and crossed himself before the altar and Christ. He saw the two IRA goons eyeing him up, but paid them no mind as he walked to the confessional. Entering, he crossed himself once more as the sliding door opened.

"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been years since my last confession. I've killed many men. Took a woman and her unborn child from another. I confess that I did this last selfishly. Glee even. But I fear it may cost me my life," Jimmy said. "I need a way out. I need some form of protection. For these and all my sins, Father, I am sorry."

"These are very serious sins, my son. You've broken your link to God. You need to be willing to repay all those you have caused pain," the priest said. Jimmy sneered at the thought of mending bridges with Filip, knowing he had well and truly burned them.

"I'm afraid that's impossible, Father," Jimmy said forlornly. "By taking this one girl, I've upset powers I've sworn never to upset."

"I can not grant you forgiveness until you ask. The gates of St. Peter will forever be out of your reach," the priest said, closing the door between them.

Both stepped out of the confessional at the same time. Father Ashby turned to Jimmy as he stepped out. "We need to talk," he said simply.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Unser opened the cell Chibs was being held in. The aforementioned man laying on the hard cot, his legs crossed at the ankles, his hands behind his head, and his eyes closed. He was the image of calm and at ease. Only the rigid way he held the pose gave away his worry.

"Am I out?" the Scot asked.

"Under the circumstances, I can make an exception for the obstruction charge," Unser said.

Chibs sat up and walked to Unser. "Any word on Hale?" he asked, one foot out the door.

"Izzy's doctor friend is keeping him in a coma for now. Until the swelling on his brain goes down. They had to cut open his head to relieve the pressure."

"I'm sorry," Chibs said softly.

"Yeah. Me, too." Chibs went to leave but Unser raised his voice, stopping him. "This attack, I know what it means, what you guys gotta do."

"I don't give a shit about retaliation," Chibs growled. "I'm gonna find my family." He walked out of the department.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"What you've done isn't only a death sentence, it's damnation," Father Ashby said.

"That's a bit over dramatic, don't you think, Father?" Jimmy asked, raising his brow.

"You have no idea what you've done, do you? The Council has cut you off. You and Fiona both. They will not extend any protection for you or Fiona. They will not jeopardize their relationship with the Sons, and especially, with the Coven. You're ambitions were over reaching. You not only kill a man part of an organization we have been allied to for more than 20 years, you kidnap the one woman, the one pregnant woman, Marcus Volturi himself views as a daughter. The one man who could wipe the floor with us without so much as a blink!"

"The woman is fine, Father. Fiona is looking after her," Jimmy said, pale and properly chastised.

"You left her with a woman who would gladly see her dead for her connection to Filip? Are you insane?"

"I know what I'm doing, Kellan!" Jimmy snapped.

"I don't think you do, James. And until you come to your senses and return the girl and her child, not only can anyone help you, but no one will."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Clay embraced Chibs as he left the building. "Hello, brother."

"What's up, man? How's it going?" he asked him and the others.

"Chibs," Bobby said, gripping his arm.

"So what do we know about the shooter?" Clay asked Unser, who had followed the Scotsman from the building.

"His jaw, cheek, and nose are busted."

"Good."

"Mayan?" Bobby asked.

"No. A few priors, but no known affiliations," Unser said.

"It don't make any sense," Opie said.

"Tell me about it."

"You baby-sitting at St. Thomas?" Clay asked.

"No. Sanwa D.A.'s all over it, getting him to flip on the ones that got away. Sorry I couldn't be more help, guys," Unser said walking away.

"Where are we at with the Irish?" Chibs asked Clay.

"Expecting a call from Liam later. He should have news for us."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Look away," Tig said as he turned another little trinket doll in the curio cabinet around. Seriously, the little fuckers gave him the creeps.

He looked out the window for a moment before Gemma came into the dining room. He sat down quickly, hoping she didn't needle, but it was a vain hope.

"Let me guess..." she said knowingly.

"They were freaking me out," he said, taking a drink of his coffee. Gemma went to the curio and opened it.

"This one's my favorite," she said, taking one out and setting it in front of him.

"Oh, Jesus Christ," he said as he quickly and nervously threw a napkin over it. Gemma chuckled.

"You talk to Clay this morning?"

"Yeah. Hale's alive. They left him in a coma for now, hoping to get his brain back to normal size. No word on Izzy yet," he said a bit sadly. He loved her like a little sister. Lord knew she understood his aversion to the little fucking knick-knacks like the one's Gemma's mom had in her little cabinet.

"We'll find her. And I have no doubt that if she thinks we're taking too long, she'll find a way out herself," Gemma said.

"Why wouldn't she just do that from the get go?"

"Probably not able to. Or it's not safe. If there's any danger to her or especially her son, she'll stay put."

It was then that Amelia, Gemma's father's care-taker walked in. "Morning," she said, not used to guests. Even if they had met at an ungodly hour that morning when Gemma arrived, didn't mean she necessarily wanted to see them first thing that morning.

Tig got up to give her some place to sit down. "Mornin', doll," he said as he passed her. Amelia smiled at him coyly, and Gemma didn't like it. She diverted the girl's attention.

"Is he up?" Gemma asked.

"Getting dressed," she replied as she poured her coffee. "You haven't asked about your mom. Thought maybe you'd want to know what happened to her."

"I know what happened. It's him I'm worried about."

"Rose took care of everything. Nate's care facility will be ready for him day after tomorrow, and there's a buyer for the house, the trust has been set up. Family was real important to her."

"Don't remember much of that," Gemma said snidely.

"When's the last time you saw her?" Amelia asked.

"Mm. I don't know. Years."

"Why so much distance?"

"Personal safety."

"You didn't get along?"

"What, you writing her memoir, darling?" Gemma asked, tired of the open probing of her reasons for staying away. It was then Gemma's father entered the kitchen. He had a look of confusion on his face, almost as if he knew he was in his own house, but the decorations and the style was different.

"Oh, morning, Daddy," Gemma said, rising from her seat. Nate looked at her with confusion as well, seeing the face of his daughter, but years in the past.

"It- it's Gemma," Gemma said haltingly.

"Oh my- My God!" Nate said excitedly. "My baby girl!" Gemma hugged him.

"Yeah, it's me. It's me," she said, holding him tight.

"My baby girl. Your mama's gonna be so glad to see you. Rose? Rose? Rosie! Where are you, Sweetie? You'll never guess who's here. Rosie?"

Amelia came over and put guided Nate to a seat. "He's gotten worse since she passed," she murmured, not wanting her charge to hear her. "He usually only got this confused later in the day."

"I hardly recognize you, sweetheart," Nate said, trailing his fingers down Gemma's cheek.

"Been a long time, daddy," Gemma said softly through the rock in her throat.

"How old are you now?" Nate asked.

"53."

"Oh," he said, taking a sip of his coffee, then frowning. "Coffee's too strong. Next time, let your mother make it."

"O-okay, daddy."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Sheriff's guarding the shooter, just like Unser said," Clay said annoyed.

"Do we have anyone here at the hospital that could help?" Jax asked. Clay thought before a smile overtook his face.

"Let's go visit Chucky. Brighten his day."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"What are we going to do with her, Jimmy?" Fiona asked him in a panic. "If the little gash really has connections so high up, a quick death would be a mercy they wouldn't give us just for taking her."

"All I want is the kid. The boy comes out, she's disposable, and we'll disappear off the face of the earth. She doesn't look like she has more than a couple of weeks to go, and this bolt hole is secure enough. None of our connections know of it," Jimmy said. "We have an internet connection, which I'll need to secure us new papers. Hopefully my usual guy doesn't know we've been cut off yet."

All the while, neither conspirator knew that Bella was listening in. Wasn't hard through the paper thin walls of the shit hole Jimmy had taken them to. She smiled a shit eating smile. An internet connection was an idiot move. At least a normal non secure one. I.P. addresses were easy enough to track. Jimmy wouldn't have gotten a very secure one, seeing as that would look suspicious in a residential neighborhood. Even one run by the IRA. She just had to find a way to use it without either knowing. There was no way she was going to sit around waiting for Callum to come into the world, only for her to leave it, and him at James O'Phalen's mercy. She figured she had one day safely. Two if she wanted to test her luck, which she didn't.

"In the mean time, I need to start leaving a false trail," Jimmy said.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"They cut off my fingers!" Chuck screamed in the halls of the hospital as he ran in nothing but a paper gown tied loosely at the back, so his ass was showing to the whole place. "Oh, my God, they cut off my goddamn fingers!"

"Hey, hey," said the sheriff guarding the shooter that was caught at Sac's wake.

"I come in to have a mole removed- Look what they did! They took my thumbs off!" Chucky screamed.

"Put some pants back on!" the cop said over his wailing as he followed the fingerless felon away from his station. "This is a secure hallway!"

"I love Chucky," Clay said as he led the Sons to the mans room.

They stormed in and Opie and Chibs immediately stopped him from hitting the panic/nurse's button.

"Easy. Ese, easy," Chibs said as he held him down.

"This guy isn't going to be doing any talking," Bobby said, gesturing to his wired jaw.

"Who ordered the drive by? Alvarez?" Clay asked. The man spat at Clay, which immediately became the obvious bad decision it was when Clay grabbed the man's unprotected cock and balls in a crushing grip.

"Is this a Mayan hit?" Jax asked from the foot of the bed. The man still made no move or gesture to answer.

"Check his ink," Clay ordered. Chibs and Opie pulled the down down off the man's torso and checked his chest and back, then his arms.

"No Mayan colors, no gang tats," Chibs said.

"Yo, we need to get out of here," Bobby said from by the door. Chibs let the man go with a harsh shove and went to join Bobby, but Jax had an idea. He took Chibs' spot and pulled the man's lower lip down.

"Three-twelve," Jax said, looking to Opie.

"C.L.?" Opie asked, catching some thought from Jax the others couldn't. It was a connection both men had since they were boys. A bond that was eerily twin like in it's making.

"Calaveras, Lodi."

"It's a wetback M.C." Opie said. The Sons left the hospital room before the sheriff could return to see unwanted guests, but Bobby stopped them in a deserted hall, his thoughts running wild.

"Calaveras is a Mayan puppet club. What the hell are they doing proxying a retaliation?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"Holy shit," Jax said in a moment of clarity. "What if the attack was initiation?"

"It's a goddamn patch-over," Clay said. "Mayans are moving in to Lodi."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Still have no idea where, but I can for sure tell you they are here in Ireland," Liam said. "I have the two best trackers in The Coven working on locating them. One is tracking any and all questionable aliases, and Demetri is working on our girl directly, monitoring any and all incoming emergency calls. Hell, we even have her email under watch."

"How do you know they are in Ireland?" Clay asked the phone that was currently on speaker.

"Hit on one of those previously aforementioned aliases. Three train tickets purchased from Vancouver to Quebec. Problem is, his I.P. address was jumping towers all over Ireland not Canada."

"Small problem, if I go to Ireland, I'll have a target on my forehead the moment the plane's wheels land in Belfast," Chibs said.

"Let me talk to the council. Seeing as how that was Jimmy's decision in the first place, maybe I can get it overturned," Jimmy said through the speaker.

"I'll give them 48 hours. I'm not pushing her luck or her ability to stall for time any farther than that, Liam."

"I'll make them count then."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

Clay and a few of the Sons met with the President of the Grim Bastards just at the Charming-Lodi boarder. The Son's rapport with the black M.C. ran for the better part of a decade, and it showed in how the two M.C.'s greeted each other.

"My brother," Clay said.

"Hey," the President greeted him. "You guys have had a tough run. Condolences all around."

"Thanks, T," Clay said.

"So, how can we help?"

"Drive by had to be ordered by the Mayans. We figure it was a patch-over."

"Initiate out of Lodi. Calaveras M.C." Happy said in his low rough voice.

"Oh, shit, yeah," the Grim President said. "We been seeing a lot of Mayan activity in town."

"Calaveras have been on a recruiting spree. All adds up," his V.P. said.

"We're gonna have to break it down. Can't have these Mayans at our boarders," Chibs said hatefully.

"We can't have 'em inside ours. You know, dope and pussy game's tough enough without Alvarez stepping on it."

"Agreed," Clay said.

"What's the move?" the Grim V.P. asked.

"Let's find out what Alvarez is up to. I need you to locate a C.L. for me."

"It's gotta be an officer, somebody plugged in to making club decisions," Opie said from his bike.

The Grim President thought for a moment before he turned to Clay. "Yeah. We'll find the right beaner."

Clay shook his hand and parted ways.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Unser was on his way to his office when he spotted Jacob Hale in his brother's office. He was sitting at the desk, tears running quietly down his face. The man may have been an idiot jack off, but he cared about his brother. Something they had in common. So the still acting Chief walked into the office.

"Need help moving any of this?" Unser offered. "Kid's going to need my office soon."

"Not as soon as we would like, it seems," Jacob said. "The 21st century has come to Charming."

"Just what you and your brother wanted, ain't it? Progress?" Unser asked.

"County Sheriff's Office would like nothing more than to absorb Charming PD. And City Council is ready to let 'em."

"There a point behind this threat?"

"It's not a threat. I think it's a bad idea. Charming needs it's local police. Besides, it'd be a shame to have it absorbed when my baby brother is this close to becoming Chief.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Gemma was headed into the bathroom just as Tig came out… in nothing but a short, silk, pink robe and a bottle of baby oil in his hand.

"Oh, hey," he said in a chuckle.

"Well, hey," Gemma teased. "Nice robe."

"Yeah," Tig said, making sure the tie of the robe was still holding.

"Uh, where are you going with the baby oil?"

"I'm not gonna lie to you. Gemma, I'm a very big man, and a little bit of lube sometimes, it's just the humane thing to do," he said matter of factly.

"Oh. Well, I- I hope that's the Guatemalan hottie in there and not my dad."

"Nah. Nah, yeah, okay. I mean, Nate's a very handsome man, but not my bent," Tig said with a smirk as he walked into the room across the hall.

"Hmm," Gemma intoned.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Bastards found the Calaveras' president, Hector Salazar," Clay said, leading the others out of the van.

"End of the road. He's up there with his old lady," Opie said. They made a quick plan as they walked up. Everone circled the door and Clay knocked on it hard three times.

"Yeah?" came a voice inside.

"Yeah, I think we backed over your Harley out here. You might want to come and take a look," Opie said with his gun out and pointed towards the door.

"What?!" The door opened, and the man exclaimed when he saw it. "Oh, shit!" He then took off into the house, though he didn't get very far with every Son chasing him. Happy managed to down him in the living room.

"What the hell you cabrones doing here?" Salazar asked.

"Find the girl," Clay ordered.

"Puto, get out of my house," Salazar demanded when his question was ignored.

"Some of your pussy patches paid us a visit last night," Happy said in his low rough growl.

"Why are you doing Mayan bitch work, ese?" Clay asked in his face.

"Caca, piece of shit! Go, go!" a woman yelled. Clay and the others looked over to see Chibs and Bobby backing up with their hands in the air.

"Easy, darling, easy," Chibs said placatingly.

"Luisa!" Salazar called, but Jax, who had been standing just out of sight to the side of the door, rushed her and grabbed the gun she was pointing at his brothers. Jax didn't want to hurt her, but he had always been one of those men for equal rights. When a man fights him, he fights back. So, he treats women the same way. So when Salazar's old lady smacked him, with an open hand too, that's just degrading, he rammed his forehead into her nose. Jax took the gun and Luisa went down.

"You puto bitch!"

Jax's patience, which had been under some form of control with Izzy around, snapped. He walked up to Salazar and smashed his face into a nearby table. The man went down, but Jax took hold of him again, making the man look into his eyes.

"We know Calaveras are patching over Mayan. We want to know why."

"I don't know shit about no patch," Salazar spat through his bloodied nose and mouth. Jax rammed him into the table again and then steadied him.

"That's the wrong answer, bitch," Jax said with a predatory smile. Salazar actually spat at him this time, and once again, his face met the table.

"Enough!" Clay intervened. "We'll take him to the hole, finish this."

"Yeah," Jax said, doing his best to reign in his anger and he left the house.

"You can't kill me. I'm a patch president," Salazar said through pained breaths. Clay sent a hard, steel toed boot straight to Salazar's head, stunning the man.

"I don't recognize your bullshit MC," he said, putting his sunglasses on, and following Jax.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Bella was frustrated to all holy hell. She had looked around the small room that Fiona and Jimmy had locked her into. There wasn't much. A plastic bag, some broken glass, a run down damned uncomfortable cot. Bella sighed. She needed to get out of the room soon and to that internet connection. She had heard Jimmy leave maybe 20 minutes ago. Knowing how long it took to set up an alias, let alone two or three, Bella didn't see Jimmy keeping Fiona around though, he would be gone for some time. Then, a brilliant and definitely risky plan developed in her head.

"Callum, little one. This is our little secret. You tell your papa what mommy is about to do, and you'll be grounded to graduation," she muttered to the life in her womb. Grabbing the bag and a decent shard of glass, she went to stand next to the door. She took a deep breath to steady herself, and sent a quick prayer to whatever deity listening that this worked.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

"Dad! Soup's almost ready," Gemma called to her father, who had just gotten out of the restroom. He stopped in the hall, however, when he heard muffled noises from the hall bedroom.

"Oh, yes, that's it," a woman said. "Oh, yeah, yeah."

Nate followed the noises. Perhaps his Rosie needed something. "Rose?" He asked. The only answer he got though was moaning and giggling.

"Rose, are you all right?"

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Gemma's phone went off. She checked it and saw that it was Angela.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Gemma."

"Angel, baby. Is something wrong?"

"No," Angela assured her. "Just thought I'd give you the skinny on Bells. Liam seems certain that she is in Ireland. He's having his trackers canvasing the country while he tries to make sure that Chibs isn't killed when he goes to get her and Callum."

"You doing okay?" Gemma asked.

"As I can be. Focusing on Abel as much as I can. Jax and I haven't let him out of our sight since she was taken."

"Understandable. You've been through it, baby. What happened with the prospect, that's shit no one should have to see. Got to hold on to family, baby. That's what's getting me through it. Jax, Abel- Don't let go of them. Keep your strength."

Just then a gunshot went off. "What was that?" Angela asked worriedly.

"Shit. I'll call you back," Gemma said as she followed the sound of her father's care-giver's voice.

"How could you do this to me, Rose?! How could you?" Nate yelled at his care-giver as she attempted to cover herself with the sheets as Tig was bent over the bed, bare naked and a gunshot wound in his shoulder.

"Jesus Christ, dad, what are you doing?" Gemma asked as she entered the room, taking the rifle from her father.

"He shot me, the crazy old prick," Tig said, looking over his shoulder at the gunshot.

"He thought I was Rose," Amelia explained.

"What, wha-what is it?" Nate said confused.

"Holy shit, dad."

"Oh, God, wha-what, what did I do?" Nate asked horrified as he took in the scene with lucid eyes. "Oh, God," he sobbed.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Okay, Vicodin," Gemma said, entering the room after seeing to her father, with a bottle of pills. "Here, eat up. Rose don't need 'em anymore."

"How's Nate?" Tig asked as he popped the pills dry.

"Hopefully he'll forget by morning."

"We got to get you to the E.R." Amelia said.

"It's a bullet wound. They'll report it to the cops," Gemma said.

"It was an accident. They can't arrest your father," Amelia said.

"Not him I'm worried about," Gemma said. And it wasn't. Tig still had that warrant in Oregon and the both were packing illegally.

"Okay, but you're going to have to pull this slug. Think you can do that?" Tig asked her.

"Yeah, I'll just use a little lube," Gemma snarked.

"I'm sorry."

"Uh-huh." Gemma took Tig's ruined shirt off the night stand, and that was when Amelia caught sight of his pistol, and not the one that had been ramming into her so pleasurably not half an hour before.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~

Hector Salazar screamed as he was buried up to his neck, cables tied around it and lead some distance out with hooks on the end, to be caught by bikes should they hit just right. Then it was bye-bye head.

"Come on! Yo no sé nada! Yo no sé nada, yo no sé nada, cabrón. You're making a mistake. You're making a mista..." But no one was listening as they went to meet Jax and Opie who just pulled up on their bikes. "Yo no sé nada!"

"You talk to Liam?" Clay asked.

"Not yet. Tried to call, but got a busy signal. We'll try again after we're done here," Jax said. Chibs looked out into the distance. The circles under his eyes were getting bigger with every night Izzy was gone.

"We miss anything?" Opie asked.

"Just getting started. You want first crack at the piñata?"

Jax looked at Opie, who merely said, "Yeah." They rode to the end of the stretch and turned to face Salazar's head. "Wait! ¿Que estan haciendo? ¿Que estan haciendo? What is this?!" he asked panicked.

"Please," he sobbed as he saw Happy standing over him with a red handkerchief as a 'flag'. "Tell them no. No! No!"

Happy put the 'flag' in the air and both boys revved their engine in readiness as Hap dropped the flag. Both Jax and Opie raced passed Salazar, dangerously close to the hooked cables attached to his head. Salazar screamed in terror and then elation as they missed.

"Bravo, matador. Bravo!" Happy encouraged.

"Stop! Stop, no more!" Salazar begged, sobbing.

"Why is Alvarez patching you over?" Clay demanded.

"Heroin! The Mayans are setting up a bag-and-cut operation in Lodi. They're moving H to Stockton Prison. That's all I know."

The Sons walked off. "This had to be the deal Alvarez cut with Ule. Too bad he doesn't know his bitch boy is dead. Someone has to be calling the shots now for the deal to still be on the table. Mayans supply the dope, A.B. gives them the prison market."

"They're processing H in Lodi, means they're running it through Charming to get to Stockton," Jax said.

"Got to take Alvarez down," Opie said.

"Shred him in pieces. We get bloody," Chibs growled. The bloodlust of his ancestors rolling through his veins in a need to calm himself.

Clay sighed paced, thinking. "We can't afford another war. We just ended on almost finished us. A.T.F.'s still sniffing, Gemma's with her father, Izzy missing. We off this guy, it's an escalation."

"Bloody '92 all over again," Jax agreed. "We spare this shithead, might give us a little room to negotiate."

"Negotiate what?" Chibs asked. "Alvarez wants us dead."

"Well, then we'll just have to change his mind. Do I need to take a vote?" Clay asked. No one voiced as such. "Let this pendejo out of the hole. He's going home."

Chibs walked up to the Calaveras president, and bent to take the cables off. "Hey, Hector. It's your lucky day."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Gemma rounded the corner to find Amelia on the desktop, typing away. Tig's mugshot up on the screen, the reward amount, a respectable 10K, under his photo.

"Doing a little research?" Gemma asked, her father's rifle resting on her shoulder.

"Look, whatever he did, it's none of my business. I'm just here to do my job." Gemma nodded and set the rifle on the counter and went to the sink.

"I appreciate that," she said, turning on the water. Amelia looked at the screen again before getting up and grabbing her purse and keys. "Where are you going?"

"Rite Aid. We're out of gauze," Amelia said.

"You should stick around. Under the circumstances, think it's best," Gemma said calmly.

"Circumstances?"

"Ones that might tempt you to make a $10,000 phone call." Amelia moved to grab the rifle, but Gemma remained calm.

"Rewards been up to 15 Grand."

"Wow. How many bed pans do you have to empty for that kind of cash?"

"A lot. I'm sorry. Now get out of my way," Amelia said, still pointing the gun at Gemma.

"The gun's empty, sweetheart. Go ahead. Pull the trigger," Gemma said. Amelia lowered the gun to Gemma's legs and pulled the trigger. Like Gemma said, it was empty. It gave nothing but a click. Gemma grabbed the rifle's nose and pulled it away and then pulled a .9mm from the small of her back.

"This one is very loaded. Let's go. My greedy little Guati," Gemma taunted.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Chibs met everyone around the redwood, anxious to hear anything on his woman. "Has Liam called?" he asked.

"He did. Sent Juice a CCTV shot of Fiona and Jimmy leading Izzy out of the train station in Belfast," Clay said as Juice handed over the snapshot.

"Three days ago," Juice said. "Timothy O'Dell and Kelly Calhoun. They're walking too close to be just friends. Definitely hiding a weapon. One way tickets to Belfast."

"Izzy," Chibs said sadly, tracing a finger down the side of her face in the picture.

Jax put a hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "Izzy's fine. We know they're in Belfast. We're gonna find Jimmy O and Fiona and we're gonna bring your fiancée and son home," Clay said.

Chibs looked to Clay, and nodded. "Aye."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Bella kicked the door with the heel of her foot, hard. "Hey! I need to use the bathroom!" she yelled at Fiona on the other side.

"So go!" came the angry response.

"I'm sure Jimmy would appreciate it so much you allowed me to wallow in my own shit. Then you'll have to deal with the mess and the smell!" Bella replied.

She heard and angry grumbling as the door opened. A gun came into view. Bella slashed at Fiona's hands with the glass, causing her to drop the gun and hold her wounded hand with the other as she screamed obscenities at the pregnant woman. That moment of distraction was enough for Bella to jump her from behind, wrapping the bag around her head. Fiona struggled her fingers clawing at Bella's hands before she seemed to have grown a brain and began tearing at the bag. Bella's couldn't have that, so she slashed at Fiona's hands with the glass. Fiona's hands stopped tearing at the bag and searched out in front of her for whatever was slashing at her.

Fiona's elbow caught Bells in the side of her swollen, and Bella grunted in pain, doubling over slightly in pain, her grip didn't falter. A rush of wetness soaked her sweats as Fiona stopped fighting, as a sharp pain wracked her.

"No!" she whispered through clenched teeth. "Not yet, little Callum." Looking down as the contraction passed, she looked down at the now dead Fiona. Placing a hand where Fiona's elbow connected with her side, she made her way to the computer, firing it up. Thankfully, no dial-up here. Seemed they invested in the good cables here. Not wasting time, she sent a simple e-mail to Liam.

"9-1-1. In Labor. Headed to nearest church."

She sent the email, erased the history, and pushed the computer to the floor, disabling it permanently before making her way outside. It was freezing in this country. She clenched her teeth as another contraction hit her. "Just a little longer. Just a little bit longer, baby."

She felt a kick against her hand in reply. She fell into a doorway heavily, and tried to breath through the pain. The door she was leaning on opened and a middle aged blond woman looked at her.

"Jesus Christ, lass! Are you all right?!" she asked Bella.

"In labor," she said through clenched teeth.

"Goodness! We need to get yeh to a hospital," the blond said. Bella shook her head.

"No! No hospital. Too dangerous."

"What could be so dangerous about a hospital?"

"Please?" Bella finally begged. "Please, help me. No hospitals. Call SAMBEL. I need SAMBEL."

"What's your name lass?" the blond said in surprise.

"Izzy. Izzy Swan. Yours?"

"Maureen. Maureen Ashby."


	3. Caregiver

_**A/N 12/10/2018: Good morning lovlies! Well, a new chapter is up, and while I'm not thrilled with the length, it's not too bad... I hope. I left Amelia alive for now. Until I can off her without making Carlisle look incompetent like Tara was. I don't want that and neither do you guys! lol Writing this week will be a hat trick. First shift at work is slacking BIG TIME and us second shifters are picking up the slack with 10 hour days... ouch... Thankfully, orders are down tuesday, so here's hoping we get ahead enough then to lay off OT for a bit. Fingers crossed. Also, I really need to add something to my Mummy story. I haven't touched it for a month, at least and I don't want to leave it sitting too long or I won't write anything more for it... trust me, I know myself this well at least XD So I'm hoping to add another chapter to that this week. If you don't see an update for this story, it's because of that. Well then... I hope you enjoy this chapter! ALLONSY!**_

Bobby, Opie, Jax, and Clay were meeting with the Grim Bastards to give them the update on what was going on with the latest drug intel. Everyone greeted each other with the same amiability as last time, though Clay knew this news wouldn't be well received.

"Mayans are locking down Lodi," Clay told T.O. "Setting up distribution for heroin."

"Ferrying through Charming to get to Stockton yard," Jax said.

"Aw, shit. I know you ain't gonna let that happen," T.O. said.

"We run at this now, it turns long and bloody."

"Alvarez don't want a war anymore than we do," Clay said. "What we need is intel- Where they process, when they mule. T.O. looked over at his men before answering.

"All right, we can start diggin'. But we're gonna need AK's- at least half dozen."

"Shit, I ain't gonna have no shipment until the end of the month."

"Listen man, it's been a long time since we had this kind of weight in our back yard, brother."

Clay gave a half shrug. "We may be able to find some MP-5's."

"All right. That'll work," T.O. said, bending a little for the man. They parted as amiably as they greeted, but before the Sons could leave, Clay's prepay began ringing. He looked at the ID and recognized Liam's number.

"Yeah?"

"We've got something. An email sent to me from Bella. We picked it up from the nearest tower. The bastard had her not half a mile from our base church in Belfast," Liam said.

"Had her? She's not there anymore?" Clay asked, worry for the young woman seeping through his tone.

"Nay. I sent men out to retrieve her. Some to the apartment she sent the email from, some to the church she said she was going to. I haven't heard back from the church team yet, but just got word from the team I sent to the apartment. Shit hole one bedroom, Fiona dead. Strangled by the looks of it."

Clay let out a sigh of relief. "But she's safe?" he asked.

"We'll have to wait until I get word back from the men I sent to the church first. And I want her in my eyesight before I deem her safe. But Clay, I have to tell you, and I need you to pass on the message to Chibs. The email said she was in labor."

"Jesus Christ!"

"You need to get Chibs here now. The man needs to see his woman and his son."

"But the council-"

"Have at least lifted the exile long enough for him to come collect his family. Get him here, Clay," Liam said firmly. "I'll call you once I know what's happening with her."

"Thanks, brother," Clay said, hanging up. "We need to find Chibs. Now."

"What's going on?" Opie asked.

"They have a lead on Izzy. Sent an email they were able to track. She's in labor," he said simply.

"Shit!" Jax exclaimed.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Maureen Ashby led Bella into the house, looking this way and that to ensure she wasn't witnessed.

"You're connected with the Sons then?" she asked Bella.

"Aye, you could say that. I'm close with the mother charter, among others. I need your help. I need to get to the nearest church," she said through pained breaths.

"Depends on who's after you, love. And if you have any support on the way?" Bella gave her a suspicious look at that statement.

"Something happens to me, and you'll have more than the Sons on your ass, I promise," Bella bit out. "Jimmy O'Phalen and his bitch learned that the hard way."

Maureen froze. "You're running from Jimmy O? What happened? Tell me quickly!"

So Bella did, in as few sentences as possible. "Kidnapped for being Filip Telford's old lady. Jimmy wants my son, even if he has to cut him out of me. Fiona is dead. Now I need to get to Siobhan and Liam McCreery before Jimmy realizes I'm gone and he kicks up a shit storm looking for me, and I can't stand to defend myself anymore. Quick enough for you?"

"Jesus Christ! More than just the Sons, indeed. You're acquainted with the Coven's attack dog?! Come! Come, I need to get you to my safe room, and then I need to call my brother. He'll know who to call."

"Liam and Soibhan are close friends. Please, call them," Bella whimpered as another contraction ripped through her. "They can help."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"You should be fin, Tig," Carlisle said. He had rushed up to Gemma and Tig once he received the call, making sure that the younger Hale brother was stable. "There's no bone or muscle damage."

"Thanks, doc. I'm sorry I pulled you away from your work."

"It's okay."

"How's Chibs holding up? Do you know? Any word on Izzy?"

"Got a call from Liam on my way in," Carlisle said. "They got an email that pinged off a local relay tower in Belfast. It was a simple enough message. Short. She'd gone into labor."

"Does she have anyone with her?! Will she be okay?!" Tig asked as his worry mounted.

"Calm down. I'm sure that Liam will be calling very soon with an update. She gave him a local to meet her, so I have no doubt we'll have the whole story before the day is out."

"Dad? Daddy? Nate?" They heard Gemma calling through out the house. "Have you seen Nate? He's not in his room," she asked them, coming in to see them.

"No, not since this morning," Tig said. Carlisle only shook his head.

"He's gone. So's the hunting rifle."

"Oh, shit. You know, I did hear a car about 20 minutes ago," Tig admitted.

"Oh, Christ!" Gemma exclaimed, leaving the room. She went out to the parking lot, Carlisle following her. "Oh, shit! The Caddy's gone."

"Is he okay to drive?"

"Yeah, it depends on what decade he thinks he's cruising in."

"Any idea where he may have gone?" Carlisle asked.

"I have no goddamn idea."

"Someone must know his routine," he said calmly as she looked up and down the street. Gemma then turned her focus to him and pressed her lips in a thin line.

"Yeah, somebody does." Gemma went back into the house and led Carlisle to the basement where they found Nate's caretaker blindfolded and duct taped to a wheelchair.

"And she would be-" Carlisle trailed, looking at the woman.

"His Caregiver. Threatened Tig once she knew he was worth something in the state of Oregon."

"Ah, and if there's one thing you protect fiercely, it's those you consider family," he said knowingly. "As my own MC should have."

"Damn straight on both accounts."

"Is someone there?" Amelia asked, her head turning this way and that, trying to catch any form of sound.

Gemma knocked on the railing twice as she descended the steps. "Amelia. I need to as you a question," she said.

"Yeah, and I need to take a piss, like, an hour ago," Amelia shot back.

"Sorry, forgot," Gemma said, taking a bed pan from a nearby chair and sliding it under the care giver.

"Ah, that's cold!"

"Nate took off in the car. Any idea where he might be heading?" Gemma asked.

"What was he wearing?"

"Don't know."

"Depends," Amelia said. "He could be a hundred different places."

"Could you be a little more specific?" Gemma asked in irritation. Amelia's blindfolded face 'looked' at Gemma.

"I'm done," she snapped with attitude. Gemma slid the bedpan out from under Amelia and handed it to Carlisle. "You cut me loose, I'll help you find him."

"Can't do that."

"My hands and my feet are numb, my ass is killing me. You can keep a gun on me. I'll make a few calls, help you find him. That's the deal."

"Let me remind you of your circumstances, sweetheart. You are tied up in a basement, with no family, no friends anywhere in the States. You drop off the planet, no one knows. No one cares."

"Jesus Christ. Are you threatening to kill me?" Amelia asked with indignation and a small amount of fear. Carlisle snorted.

"No imagination, this one," he said under his breath.

"No, but I look around this room, I see a drill, box cutters, a welding torch. Lots of shit make you really uncomfortable."

"Psycho bitch!" Amelia spat.

"Listen, you ain't heard nothing, Chiquita. Anything happens to my dad because of your stalling, I'll make sure you end up in this wheelchair permanently!"

Amelia spat in Gemma's face, and Gemma lost her temper. "Bitch!" She punched the caregiver in the face, a love tap really, but hard enough to get the point across. Carlisle wrapped his arm around her center pinning her arms to her sides.

"Whoa, there! Let's take a moment, calm down," he said lowly, pulling her towards the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Buddha's birthday?" Clay asked Lin.

"Luncheon for my Hong Kong clients. What do you need?" Lin asked to the point. Clay turned around to the Asian behind the bar.

"MP-5's. Half dozen."

"I heard about the attack."

"Deeper than that."

"AB gave Alvarez a pipeline to Stockton Yard. Mayans set up shop in Lodi. Guns are for some brothers helping us out," Jax said.

"Explains why they've been giving us less resistance in Oakland. New shipment from Gaza. 2K each," Lin said, gesturing to one of his men who pulled a gun from behind the bar.

"Shit. Jew guns are a little steep," Clay said.

"That's the family rate. I'd double that price on the street."

"We're gifting this hardware. Ain't got that kind of up front cash."

Lin thought for a moment, then turned to Jax. "You, uh, still got your Caracara contacts?"

"Why?"

"Client's new favorite American pastime- making videos with young white porn stars. All I got are Asian whores."

"How many bodies you need?"

"Four or five willing to get messy." Jax pulled out his phone and dialed Jasper, who answered on the second ring.

"Whitlock."

"Hey, man. Lyla with you?"

"A bit indisposed, but yeah, she's here," the southerner said, and Jax could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Got a chance at some hardware. But the seller wants a shot at some professional pussy before he hands over the goods. Four or five up for a dirty roll around and the guns are ours, plus a bit on the side for the girls. 50-50 split."

There was a muffled moan on the other end of the line, and what sounded like Jasper talking lowly to Lyla.

"She'll do it. Get a hold of Ima, Tina, and the twins might be up for it as well."

"You cool with this? I know you two are hot and heavy… especially now."

"I get the sole attention of a fuckin' porn star. My cock is the only one that gets a real moan out of her. What's not to be okay about?" Jasper asked smugly.

"All right, all right. Thought I'd make sure. Enjoy your fun. But we have news on Izzy when you are."

"10-4, brother."

Then the line went dead and Jax went back to the bar. "Okay, personal appearances. Ten grand each."

"Come on."

"Hey, you're getting the family rate. I'd double that price on the street."

"Give us the guns, pay us the difference in cash, charge Hong Kong Spewy whatever you want for the party flicks," Clay said.

"Okay, better be some high-end lily white pussy. Need 'em here by 3:00."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Unser had just finished with his shave and was checking out the results in the mirror when he addressed Floyd.

"You and Denise coming to Hale's service?" he asked the barber. The local church had put together a little shindig to pray for the recovering Deputy-Chief.

"Yeah. We'll be there."

"What time's it start?" asked another patron. But before anyone could answer, they heard a throat clearing at the door and Piney walked in.

"Boys. How long for a chair?"

"About 15," Floyd said. Piney smiled at the barber and sat with a groan between a young man and one who was old enough to be his father.

"You- uh- you know that young man who shouted for everyone to get down at the kid's wake?" the man who asked about Hale's service asked Piney.

"If it's the one I'm thinking of, Jasper, you mean. He's a friend of a friend of the club."

"Could you pass on a message for me?" Piney nodded.

"Tell him thank you. He saved my grandson. Pulled him down before gunfire could hit his gut."

Piney smiled. "I'm sure he'll appreciate it. Seems his military instincts are still pretty much on the surface. He's the one who spotted the gun before they started firing. Shouting at everyone to get down. I'll tell him."

"You can take my turn, Piney. As my thank you to you as well."

"No, I- I couldn't," Piney began.

"Please." Piney nodded and took to the chair. "Thank you."

"No. No, thank you. And the rest of the Sons."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Chibs," Clay called to the Scot as they left Lin's. "Need to talk to you brother."

"Aye?"

"Heard back from Liam. You, Jax, and a few others on on the next flight to Belfast."

"We have news on Izzy?!" he asked urgently. Clay nodded.

"Seems she managed to send Liam an email from some little shit hole not even a mile from the church of one Kellan Ashby. Killed Fiona in the process of escaping, but-" Here Clay trailed off, knowing Chibs wasn't going to be happy about this next part.

"But?!"

"The email said Fiona was dead, as they found out was true, and that they could find her at the nearest church. But she had also gone into labor." Chibs froze and paled.

"She's- the baby- now?!" he asked. Clay nodded.

"Liam got the exile lifted long enough to go to Ireland and get her and your son and come back." Chibs staggered at the news and Charlie held him steady.

"I'll go with you, Chibs. We'll get our family back." Chibs gripped the handle of his bike to steady himself, though his knuckles were white from the force.

"Aye," he croaked.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Tig flipped through a little notepad with numbers on it, seeing if he missed calling one as Gemma hung up the phone.

"He's not at the church," she said, slamming the phone into it's charging station. Then Carlisle walked in.

"I went up and down every street, checked the mini mart, the gas station- there's no sigh of him," he said, his keys still in hand.

"I tried calling a few of his friends- there's nothing," Tig said.

"I can't believe I just let him drive away. Jesus, how could I do that? Stupid Bitch!"

"I'm assuming this isn't about the young woman in the basement?" Carlisle asked.

"No!"

Gemma through a phone book at the little cabinet holding the porcelain dolls and walked out of the room, unaware that her father was at the lake, remembering everything and contemplating ending it all right there before he was put in a home.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"AAAHHH!" Bella screamed as another contraction rocked through her. Thankfully, Maureen was more loyal to the Cause than she was to anyone else but her daughter because she called Siobhan and Liam. The former was now with her in Maureen's hidey hole helping to birth her son. She'd have to ask the woman why she had a spare bed in the room later, when she wasn't in so much pain.

"That's it, little Bella. Squeeze as hard as you need. You're not ready yet. Another couple of centimeter's to go," Siobhan encouraged.

"I want Filip," she cried. "Please! Please, I want Filip."

"I know, darling. I know. Liam called and said he was on his way with your da. They should be here within hours.

"Siobhan, we have a little problem," Maureen said from between Bella's legs.

"What?! What is it?" Bella asked, her worry spiking. Siobhan shushed her, comforting her as she sent a glare towards the other woman.

"Bella, little Callum is breech. I'll need to turn him. It'll be painful, lass, but thankfully, it shouldn't take long, Aye?" Maureen told her. Bella was trying to breath through the pain, sweat matting her hair to her head. She looked at Maureen and nodded.

"Aye, do it," she said through her breaths. A few moments later, she wished she hadn't as a pain from between her legs felt like it was splitting her in two. She screamed, but did everything she could to hold back the urge to thrash. Though she was pretty sure she had broken a few of Siobhan's fingers.

"You're ready to push now, love. You need to push," Maureen said.

"Just follow what your body is telling you, sweetling," Siobhan said.

So Bella did. She bore down and the searing pain returned. It felt as though someone were stabbing her in the stomach while someone twisted her insides and were trying to pull them out. She screamed and screamed every time Maureen told her to push. It was no wonder. She had been in labor for most of the day. It was dark when Maureen took her in. The day passed, and according to Siobhan, it was now the wee hours of the morning.

Finally, it felt as if something finally gave within her, and the pain was gone. But her screaming was soon replaced by that of Callum's. His first cries in the world were music to her ears. She herself cried in relief that her son was here and they were both safe. For the moment at least. Maureen came over to her, Callum still crying and wrapped in an old baby blanket, and handed Bella her newborn son. Bella thought she had never seen a more beautiful sight than this little infant in her arms. She held him gently but firmly, letting the little one know that the world wasn't so scary on the outside. She calmed him and sang whispered lullabies to him.

"He's beautiful, lass," Siobhan said. "You said his name was Callum?"

Bella nodded. "Callum Charles Filip Telford."

"That's a mouthful, to be sure. How about just little Cal for now, eh?" Bella smiled at Siobhan.

"Thank you. Both of you," she said, turning her gaze towards Maureen. The blond smiled and stood.

"I'll leave the two of you alone for a bit. Let you catch up," she said, leaving the room.

"What happened, little Bell?" Siobhan asked once she was out of the room.

Bella sighed and looked at Callum now sleeping in her arms. "Jimmy and Fiona brought me to a little shit hole not too far from here. Jimmy made two mistakes. One was getting an insecure internet line, and the second was leaving Fiona alone. Once he left, I lured Fiona into my room. Strangled her with a plastic bag I had found. She got a lucky shot in. Caught me in the side hard enough to start my labor. I went as far as I dared with the contractions starting. It was pure luck I ended up here, though I intended the church."

"Was a stroke of luck indeed. I don't trust Maureen's brother, the local priest in charge of that church, St. Matthew's, when it comes to children. He's heard one too many scare stories about children being recruited for the cause, and he'd probably have taken the lad before you even got to hold him. But the council still holds him in high regard, so he's protected for now."

"What am I going to do, Siobhan? How am I going to get home?" Bella asked.

"Don't you worry, little Bell. Your da and Filip both are coming to get you. I suppose Filip is mad with worry for you. In the mean time, you and the wee lad are coming with me. Liam and I will put you up until you are well enough to travel. I'd give it a week or two to be on the safe side."

Bella had tears running down her face, her eyes conveying deep gratitude towards the Irish woman, before she focused again on her son. The most beautiful being she had ever laid eyes on.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Jax walked up to Clay, a cigarette in his mouth. "You're missing a sweet Asian buffet inside. All you can eat," he said, lighting the cig.

"Ah. With your mom being away, it feels to much like cheating," Clay said, taking a drag off of his cigar. "I miss her so goddamn much. But she needs this."

"Yeah."

"Shit, I better go get my dick sucked. I'm starting to sound as whipped as you," Clay said, standing.

"Blow me," Jax snarked.

"I love you too, son," Clay said half sarcastically with a one armed hug.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Carlisle unzipped his medical bag, then turned to examine the bound girl. He put one of his hands on the side of her face, and the girl jumped as much as being bound allowed.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said kindly.

"You're the doctor they were waiting for?"

"Indeed. I'm going to clean out that cut on your cheek. It'll sting." Carlisle pressed an alcohol soaked gauze lightly to the wound and Amelia gasped.

"I can't see them, but I'm guessing my hands are a nice shade of purple right now." Carlisle's hands left her face and checked the duct tape. It was snug against the chair and her arms, but enough to wiggle them so she wouldn't lose circulation. Gemma was no amateur.

"They look human colored to me. And you're fingers are warm, so you're getting circulation. You'll be fine, miss," he said, turning his attention back to the cut.

"You're a doctor? How does this not fuck with your Hippocratic Oath?"

"Ah. It's a fine line. The way I see it, Gemma is the one to subdue you and tie you up. She is the one who gave you this cut. The oath I took states I won't harm anyone. It doesn't say anything about freeing them. Besides, I have my own MC. There are rules. Freeing the prisoner of another breaks those rules. Sorry, but you're stuck here."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Jasper was sitting at one of the tables at Lin's, a bottle of Tennessee whiskey and a shot glass in front of him as he watched his girl work. He didn't lie to Jax. He wasn't all that bothered at what Lyla did for a living. But it was getting to be about that time he thought about the future of their relationship. After he broke it off with Alice, he was sure he was done with the fairer sex for a good long while. At least romantically. Until he had come down to be Bella's new bodyguard. An occupation he failed spectacularly in. He already practically owes her his life. But he was hoping she didn't hold his choice to save Abel rather than her against him.

He watched as Lyla led a bald man into the filming room, and smiled, knowing that while she liked her job, she only truly screamed for him. Oh, yeah. It was time to put a ring on that. She was a way better choice than Alice.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Gem. Nate just pulled up. He's heading into the back yard," Tig told Gemma. They ran outside and Gemma found Nate sitting on one of the stone benches.

"Daddy?" Nate looked up as Gemma sat. "Where'd you go, Dad? Where's the gun?"

"I got rid of it," he said.

"Why?"

"Did I kill someone?" he asked in anguish over the thought.

"Oh, no, no, Daddy, no."

"I remember, I-"

"It was an accident. Tig is okay. It's perfect. Everything is fine," Gemma assured him. Nate looked away, his face set in introspection.

"Days like this...when I can remember everything I usually forget, these are the worst days," he said. "I was useless to her, Gemma. I couldn't even comfort her at the end."

"You know mom's gone?" she asked tentatively. Nate looked at her, his eyes still incredibly sad and gave a small nod. "And, um, you know we're gonna have to leave this place soon? Go someplace where people can take care of you?"

"I know. I know."

"I'm sorry, daddy." Gemma wrapped an arm around him, her head resting on one of his shoulders, and they enjoyed what they could of this, one of Nate's last lucid moments. It was nearly too bittersweet.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Chib's leg was bouncing up and down in his nervousness. Charlie was sitting on one side of him, and the poor sap on the other side up and left when his leg bouncing got to be too much for him.

"Chibs, they'll be all right. Liam and Siobhan won't let anything happen to either one of them. I promise," Charlie tried to comfort him.

"That bastard made me miss the birth of my son, Charlie. He and that bitch both. I'm glad Bella took care of my ex for me, but I promise you... Jimmy's end will be as painful as me missing my son's birth is for me at this very moment. I should have been there!" he said harshly.

Charlie put a firm hand on his shoulder. "There is nothing you can do about it right now. Bella is strong. She will pull through this birth just fine. Focus on that. Focus on her and your son. You have a newborn son. I am a grandfather. I want to beat the shit out of you for knocking up my baby girl and share a drink with you for giving me a grandchild. Focus on this good in life until we have them both home. And then we'll get back at Jimmy. Right?"

Chibs took in a steadying breath to calm himself before looking at Charlie. "Aye. I'm a father. A father! I never thought I'd feel this again. After Kerrianne… Kerrianne… I'm going to have to figure that out as well. The lass lost her mother and is not yet old enough to be on her own. That's going to be a tricky minefield, make no mistake."

"I'll help you through it, brother. You aren't alone."


	4. Home

**_A/N 12/30/2018: Sorry, y'all. Between the holidays, OT, an interwebz FUBAR situation, and a lack of motivation to write due to how I wanted the story to go, I found myself in a cluster fuck. Thank you to everyone, who have been so supportive of my writing this past year. You're all amazing! I'm doing something new. A bullet journal, my first, for the new year, just because I now have so many online obligations, FF included, that I need a way to keep track of it all. So, my updates should start evening out in a week or two. Fingers crossed. Though that hasn't seemed to work well enough lately. XD I promised a reader this chapter a week ago, and I fucked up. lol Happy belated Yule-mas. and Happy New Year to everyone. I hope y'all have a safe, fun time. You can drink and be naughty, just be resposible! Peace, Love, and Pop Rocks. ~Angel_**

Jax pulled in to Teller-Morrow to see Clay on the prepay. He got off his bike to hear him asking about Izzy.

"The girl doing all right?"

"Aye," Liam answered. "Lass is strong. Gave birth to a wee lad at around 1:30 this morning. She was asleep when I left. Won't let anyone but my wife near him."

Clay chuckled. "I'm on my way to the airport now. I've no doubt Filip will be nervous as a new recruit when I see him. I'll give you a ring when things have calmed down."

"Thanks, brother," Clay said, hanging up, and facing the others. "Izzy is fine, and Chibs has a son," he said exuberantly, smiling his toothy smile.

The Sons cheered at their brother's good fortune. Things were looking up again. Happy walked up along side Clay to broach his subject.

"Got a favor to ask. Mom's in real bad shape. I've been covering the cost of the hospice, but the meds are breaking me."

"There's a dealer about 20 minutes outside of Rogue River," Piney put in. "She's a good gal. Supplies all the clinics with scrips. It's the only way I can get my emphysema meds. After we make the drop, I'll take Hap, hook him up."

"We'll meet up back here. Sorry to hear about your mom," Clay said to Happy as he made his way to his bike.

"Thanks."

"That dealer, she got albuterol?" Bobby asked.

"Probably," Piney smiled. Bobby turned to his bike next to Clay's.

"Tiki's going through three inhalers a week. Precious is up my ass," Bobby explained.

"Hey, why not? Make it a party."

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

The plane landed in Belfast just as the sun was rising, and Liam had met them as soon as they has gotten off. Chibs all but forgot Charlie was with him as he went up to the Irishman.

"Where is she?" he said hoarsely.

"Both she and your new laddie are with my missus at mine. Was passed out cold when I left," Liam said without preamble, leading both men out of the airport. "She won't let anyone beyond my wife hold him. Says his father should be the first man to hold him. Nor will she let him out of her sight. First time I saw her fight with my wife when she tried to take him for a bath."

Chibs smiled softly at the thought of his woman doing just that. She was protective of the Club and her family on a normal day, but make it her own blood and she's fierce. It took them little time to get to Liam's and yet every mile felt it was taking too damn long to pass in his impatience. Chibs' door was open before the car was even in park. Liam chuckled.

"Poor man. I know the feeling," Chibs heard as he entered the house without knocking. He ran into a svelte redheaded woman. Had to be Liam's wife. She was in the kitchen and turned to see him.

"You must be Bella's Filip, then," she said in a clear womanly alto.

"Aye. Where is she?"

"Just you for now, lovey. She's feeding your lad. He seems to be calmer being breastfed than with a bottle."

Chibs swallowed hard, tears collecting in his eyes at the thought of his Izzy taking care of his son. Their son. He followed the woman, he'd have to remember to ask for her name later, to a back room. The sight that greeted him was the most beautiful sight he'd ever beheld. Bella, sitting up straight with pillows around her to help her support the pink newborn at her breast, feeding, as she looked down at him with the soft eyes of a new mother. His breathing hitched, but he managed to croak out a greeting.

"More beautiful now, than I have ever seen you, _mo ghràdh_ ," he said softly. Bella's head snapped to up, her eyes immediately meeting his as she held out a hand towards him.

"Filip," she breathed as he closed the distance between them and took her hand, placing a firm but loving kiss on her forehead as the tears finally fell. "I'd introduce you to your son, but I'm afraid his attention is rather focused at the moment," she said with a small chuckle that was mixed in with her tears of joy. Her family was now whole.

Chibs too chuckled. The low sound comforting Bella in ways she had achingly missed in the days since she had been kidnapped. He looked down at the baby feeding at her breast, his free hand coming up to touch the soft head of his son. Callum whimpered at his father's touch, but didn't detach from his mother.

"He's beautiful. He's perfect, Izzy," he said lowly.

"Aye. We're perfect."

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

Amelia twisted her bloody wrists around and around, loosening the duct tape and making the adhesive useless. With enough twisting and pulling, she managed to get one hand free. She shook it to get it feeling normal again, and took off her blindfold. Looking around, she saw a box cutter laying on one of the work benches. She loosed the breaks and rolled herself over to it. She had just started cutting her other wrist free when the door at the top of the stairs heralded Gemma's entrance. She was halfway down the stairs when Tig had called her back up, stating that someone named Angela was on the phone. She dug through a few boxes until she found a pair of scrub bottoms that looked like they would fit her and a musty top. Looked like she was out of luck as far as finding shoes went though.

She dug through the work bench for something more threatening than a box cutter when she hit pay dirt and found an old hunting knife. It was somewhat dull, but would do the job as well as any other knife. Slowly ascending the stairs, making sure to skip the one that always managed to creak, she opened the door to see Gemma had finished with her phone call and was getting a sweater out of the hall closet for Nate. Catching the older woman by surprise, she pushed her into the wall and held the knife to her throat.

"Where are the keys to Nate's car?!" she growled at her.

"I don't know."

"I will cut your goddamn throat," Amelia warned.

"I swear. I don't know where they are," Gemma said, breathing heavily, though her tone was calm. "Probably still in his pocket."

It was then that a heavy blow from a gold statue of two holding hands hit the young woman over the head, knocking her away from Gemma and stunning her. Gemma went for the knife, while she pushed Amelia into the wall, but Amelia wouldn't let it go, and just as she hit the wall, the knife slid into her chest as it was trapped in between.

Amelia gasped as the knife entered her, and Gemma stepped back as her body fell to the floor. Carlisle, who had been the one to hit her over the head, knelt beside her and checked for her pulse after a moment of shock. There was none.

"She's gone," he said to her.

"Her plan, not mine," Gemma said lowly, before walking away.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Angela dry heaved into the toilet for the second time that morning. Once the urge to throw up passed, she sat back and laid her forehead against the cool tile of the nearby wall.

"Are you all right in there, darlin'?" Donna asked from the other side of the door. The mother was a saint to come over so early in the morning to help her keep an eye on Abel while she was sick. And most importantly, she had brought a pregnancy test. Angela groaned.

"Yeah. I'll be out in a minute," she called back. If she was pregnant, she couldn't be very far along. She could hear Donna moving off into the kitchen as she slowly raised herself up off the floor and flushed the toilet, before making her way to the sink and brushing her teeth. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled.

This is what she and Jax wanted. To give Abel a younger sibling. She knew instinctively that she was pregnant. She just wanted the physical proof to make it easier to break the news. If only she could keep the water down long enough to get it through her system to take the damn test!

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

Tig was at the sink, washing the knife that had a few moments before been embedded inside Amelia with soap, bleach, anything to erase the evidence.

"I leave you two alone for ten minutes," Tig said in a lecturing tone, wiping the knife off on a towel at his shoulder.

"Any ideas here?" Gemma snapped. "Clay can't know about this. It's the last thing the club needs."

"Then we better work fast. They'll be up here tomorrow." There was a moment of silence before an answer came, surprisingly enough, from Carlisle.

"Bachman," he said lowly, his head tilted to one side as he studied the young woman's body.

"Bachman's based out of Crescent City. He can probably be here in an hour or so," Tig said in appreciation.

"The cleaner guy?" Gemma asked.

"Yeah, he's independent, which is why I'm not surprised Carlisle knows of him. He works for around 2 or 3 grand, but he is good."

"There's some cash here, but not that much," Gemma thought. "Will he take jewelry?"

"I'll call him," Tig said, digging out his phone.

"All right. Go keep my dad busy," she told him. "We'll take care of her."

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

Chibs was holding his son, looking down at him in an expression of awe as Bella slept. He refused to leave the room, letting neither her nor his newborn child out of his sight. He was simultaneously terrified and excited when he first held him after he finished his feeding. The woman was a natural mother as he watched her burp Callum before handing him over to his father. Bella laughed when he hesitated, stating he had another child and asking him what had him so nervous. To which Chibs replied that he hadn't truly held a baby since his daughter's birth. That made Bella a bit sad, and hoped that his time in Belfast would be the perfect opportunity for him and Kerrianne to get to know one another.

There was a light knock at the door and Charlie came into the room. He looked over at the bed to see his daughter out like a light, and he smiled at her fondly before looking over at Chibs.

"Seems I just missed her," he said softly, so as not to wake her.

Chibs nodded. "Aye. She nodded off almost as soon as she saw me holding him. Don't blame her a bit. Bringing a child into the world is exhausting from what I hear," he joked back. Charlie walked up to the other man and looked at his grandson.

"You did good, brother," he breathed.

"Aye. One of only a handful of times," Chibs said, holding his son out to the man. Callum again whimpered, this time at the shifting of his pillow, but thankfully stayed asleep.

"Poor kid is your spitting image," Charlie chuckled.

"He'll be a handful. I can tell."

"Let's hope there's enough of Bells in him to temper that. Have you heard anything about Kerrianne at all?"

Chibs shook his head. "Liam and his boys are out looking for her. I'm afraid that now that Fiona is dead and Izzy and Callum are now out of his reach, she'll be his primary target. That brings on a whole new kind of fear."

Charlie looked Chibs over, studying the man. "You're a good father, Chibs. Even from half a world away."

There was a moment of silence before Chibs spoke again. "I'd like your blessing, Charlie."

"You already have that, brother," Charlie said, looking at him bemusedly. Chibs shook his head.

"Nay, you misunderstand me. I want to marry Bella. Here. In Belfast."

"I don't think you'll get argument out of her, but may I ask, why the rush?"

"I want to know Izzy is mine. I know that she is without the official paper, but I never want the fear of another man taking her like that ever again. It doesn't matter if Jimmy was going to go through with his threat of taking her as a wife, or if he was going to kill her. I don't want that fear ever again. I was going mad with the scenarios my head was giving me, and the only way to get rid of them was to drink!"

"You have my blessing, Chibs. If you can get her to say yes."

"Of course, I'll say yes. Now shut up and let me sleep. Only another hour or so until the little highness is hungry again," came the tired, mumbled reply from the bed. Both men chuckled and Chibs went to his woman, and taking a seat beside her. He pulled one of her hand to him and slipped the engagement ring Clay had returned to him back onto it's rightful finger before kissing it's placement. Bella didn't say a word. Only smiled and brushed her thumb along his scarred cheek and drifted off to sleep once again.

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

A red motorcycle pulled into Nate's drive and an older man got off as Tig and Gemma opened the door.

"Who's that?" Nate asked.

"Someone for Amelia, Nate," Tig said.

"Yeah, he's giving her a ride home," Gemma put in.

The man gave off a creeper vibe that wouldn't be out of place in a Stephen King novel. Like he enjoyed what he did, didn't apologize for it, and even pulled it off with a unique sort of flare.

They lead him into the basement where they had placed the body in the mean time. The man immediately set to work, taking measurements to know in what way he was going to dispose of the body. If they were small enough, such as this girl, he could do just as well dissolving them with a handful of chemicals. Otherwise, he'd have to get really creative. He checked her rigidity, got in a good grope or two, not even hiding the fact, checked her mouth for any gold filings, you never know what sort of things you'd find where, and then wrote down what he needed in a little pocket notebook, tearing out the page.

"This is what I need," he said, handing the paper to Gemma. She took it and read the list.

"Most of this stuff's out in the garage. I can send Carlisle out for the rest," she said looking at Tig.

"Okay."

"How's the drain in that slop sink?" Bachman asked, thumbing to the sink on the far wall.

"I think it's fine," Gemma said uncomfortably.

"Good. I'm in the mood for some music. 80's," he said simply.

"I'll make that happen," Tig said, impressed by his professionalism mixed with fun.

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

Kerrianne was currently on the lamb. She hadn't heard from her mother in days. Then when she saw Jimmy's men combing her home for her when she was making her way there from school just the day before, she knew she had to disappear. There were very few people she could trust, the problem with seeking them out, however, was getting there without being seen. Her first thought was to make her way to her friend Trinity's. Her and her mother, Maureen, were close friends. But she also knew the tie they had to the cause and as much as she trusted Trinity, she didn't trust her mother not to tell Jimmy as soon as she made her way there. There was just something so… mad… in the the woman's eyes that she didn't trust.

She could make her way towards Father Ashby and the Church of St. Matthew's, but his help never came without strings. He would most likely stick her in a nunnery and find a way to keep her there. Fiona would never allow herself to become a nun. She loved the Lord, but not that much.

Then the answer came to her. Padraic. Her cousin. It was the perfect chance to get to him and see if he could get in touch with her father in California. Kerrianne loved Ireland, but with Jimmy around, she just wasn't safe. She needed her father. Her real father. She had sketchy memories of him still. How he would always let her help him prepare breakfast, his favorite being kippers and oatcakes with marmite. She personally liked her marmite on toast, but everyone has their tastes. There was one memory she cherished where he helped her make a fort in the front room of their home to see if they could catch Santa one Christmas. He regaled her with Christmas stories until she fell asleep, never managing to catch St. Nick leaving gifts for her.

She dug out her wallet and found that she still had a little money left. In total about 20 Euro worth and a few cents. It was enough for a bite of food and a bus ticket for sure, so that was a relief. The problem then became how to get onto a bus without Jimmy knowing… As soon as she solves one problem, another presents itself.

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

Gemma and Nate were taking a walk through the gardens one last time before she had to take him to the home as she, Tig, and Carlisle were waiting for Bachman to finish his gruesome work. She had a hand on his arm and one on his back, guiding him as he took in the roses.

"I tried to make it right," he said, surprisingly lucid.

"What, daddy?"

"You and- You and your mother," he said brokenly. "I know you probably don't believe that."

"She swallowed us both up," she said, pressing her lips together tightly. "I don't blame you."

"She never recovered from Nathaniel's death. Blamed it all on herself. I know that burden landed on you," he said as he stopped and smelled one of the higher reaching yellow roses. "I prayed for your mother. Begged Jesus to take away her pain.

"You turned to God. Rose turned to Rose," she sneered.

"Her biggest regret. Loosing you. Don't let your family slip away."

"Hey Gem!" Tig called from inside the house. She turned to look at him in the doorway. "He's done."

Gemma found them in the living room after seeing her father to his own room for a lie down. They stood up and he turned to face her.

"All done."

Gemma pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket. "Here's $1600."

He pocketed the money as Tig put in, "Take the rest in goods. Anything," he said, looking around the home. Bachman immediately went to the holding hands mold that Carlisle used to hit Amelia over the head with and picked it up, leaving the house without another word.

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

Angela was staring at a positive pregnancy test with a smile on her face.

"You're not nervous about telling him, are you?" Donna asked as she playfully bounced Abel on her him. Ellie and Kenny, playing out in the back yard. Angela shook her head.

"Just need to get him alone. We both wanted this. Have been trying for this," she tells the older woman.

"Sam Crow is getting one hell of a baby boom. Abel, Callum, yours, mine. You better have a girl. We're being over run with testosterone," Donna chuckled.

Angela giggled. "True, but there is Ellie. And what about you?" Donna shrugged.

"I could go either way. I already have one of each." Just then, Angela's phone rang.

She looked at the number and gasped. "Tell me you've found her!" she demanded of the man on the other end.

"Aye, I've found her. Both her and Callum are safe. Both sleeping at the moment," Chibs said. Angela let out a long sigh of relief. "I called to ask. Do you have your passport, lass?"

"Yes. Bells and I went to Mexico our senior year for our Spanish class," Angela said.

"Good. I need you to get yourself and the girls here with the Sons ASAP."

"I thought you said nothing was wrong!" Angela demanded worriedly.

"Aye, and nothing is. Just thought you'd like to be there when Izzy and I wed. I know she'd prefer her best friends there," he said. She could hear the beaming pride and happiness in his voice.

"You're getting married in Belfast?! When?" Donna looked up at Angela in surprise and smiled.

"A few days. Thought we'd give everyone time to get here first."

"Oh, you bet your fine Scottish ass we'll be there! You tell the boys yet?"

"Nay. Knowing how long it takes you women to pack, I called you first," he laughed. "And my ass is rather fine. Though you'll have to fight Izzy for it, and she already took care of my ex."

"Jax's ass is finer. Now call him, you barbarian. Us girls have some packing to do!" she said, hanging up on his barking laughter.

"Go round up Ellie and Kenny, while I call Gem. We're going to an Irish wedding," Angela smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

They handed off the bundles to the SOA Oregon charter at the boarder. "I'll call Cameron, let him know we handed off the guns," Bobby said as he and Happy made to follow Piney to his dealer. Clay's phone rang. He looked at it and answered.

"How are things in Belfast, brother?" he asked. The other Sons stopped their progression to their vehicles and looked to Clay.

"We're great! How would you guys like to attend a wedding here in Ireland?" Charlie asked.

"The impatient idiot couldn't wait until they came home?" Clay asked, his brows reaching his hair line.

"No. And given the circumstances and the reasons he gave me, I really couldn't blame him, could you?" Charlie asked. Clay sighed.

"No, I really couldn't. When?"

"Few days at most. We wanted to call everyone. Give them time to get here. Bella's going to have to call her Coven contacts. The ones she talking to anyway."

"Sounds good. We'll book passage later today. Leave in a day or so."

"See you then."

Clay hung up and looked at the others. "Looks like we're going to Ireland."

"Everything okay?" Jax asked.

"Fine. Bella and the boy are just fine. Though it seems Chibs won't wait another goddamn minute to get a ring on her finger. Just long enough for everyone to get there."

There was another round of cheering when the boys heard the news. Clay was happy everything was going so well, but experience taught him that with the sweet, came the sour. And he was waiting for the other boot to drop.

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

Piney, Bobby, and Happy pulled up to a small, somewhat secluded cabin in the middle of the woods and immediately got the hint that something was wrong when they met together to see a big guy on a truck readying his sawed off.

"Bobby?" Piney asked.

"Yeah, I see him, and it don't look good."

"Let's go find Honey," Piney said, making his way into the cabin as quickly as possible.

They found her in the middle of a destroyed living room, curled up into a ball. "Oh, no. Damn."

Piney went to her. "Honey, let's get out of here," he said lowly.

"Get her up. Get her up," Bobby urged as the men rifling through the drawers in the halls noticed them. Honey got up and made her way on shakey legs to her room.

"Shit!" one of the men exclaimed before he fired his own shotgun.

"Move!" Bobby said as he and Happy laid down cover fire. They made it into the room and shut the door firmly behind them.

"Who the hell are those guys?!" Piney demanded.

"Local peckerwoods," Honey said in an accented voice. "They run most of the crank up here. They decided they want to be in the scrip-dope business."

"Got no service," Happy said, trying his phone.

"All right, tell us where the drugs are, or we'll tear this whole goddamn place apart!" came a shouted threat through the door.

"Suck my ass, you inbred puddle of piss!" Honey shouted back.

"So we stay in the room. They find the drugs. Maybe they leave?" Bobby said before they all ducked as the local asshats started firing into the room.

"That's not gonna happen!" Honey said, going to a wall and pulling a small hook that they now saw was attatched to a string that opened a door to a panic room. They all entered quietly and hurriedly.

"Holy shit!" Bobby exclaimed looking around.

"I got over half a million in scrip here. Those tweaker scumbags will kill us to get it."

Happy picked up the dedicated landline and dialed out. It was time to get some back up.

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

Bella was watching Callum as he fed, her free hand not holding him to her breast, trailing a finger along the side of his face. She marveled at how soft his skin was. The boys were out making calls to the club, and she supposed she should be doing the same. With a deep sigh, she picked up the cell Siobhan had given her to use and dialed Marcus.

It rang twice. " **Sí. Marcus Volturi, a proposito di.** "

"Marcus," Bella said.

" **Il mio principessa!** Are you all right?" he asked, worry coating his words thickly.

"Perfectly fine. I'm with Liam and Siobhan. He's here, Marcus. Callum was born this morning," she said, her focus once again turning to her feeding son.

"Truly! That is wonderful news, Bella."

"Yes, but that's not all. I need to you reach out to certain members of the Coven. You and all of them need to come to Belfast. I'm getting married."

"Just give me the names, **principessa**. I'll have everyone on the first available flight to Ireland."

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

In a moderately sized town house, in the middle of London, a phone rang. It rang and rang until a rather disgruntled, half dressed man in unbuttoned leather pants, an impressive collection of tattoos, even for a biker, shaggy black hair and stunning blue eyes answered the phone.

"This had better be someone important as I left a stunningly gorgeous busty blond waiting needily between my sheets!" he barked.

"Now Paddy, is that any way to treat an old friend?" came a pouted reply. The aforementioned Paddy brightened.

"Bella! So good to hear from you! Even if your timing stinks."

"I'll work on that. I need you and your boys in Ireland in the next few days," she said.

"Any pressing reason?" he asked.

"I'm getting married!" The man choked.

"And you didn't let me, Sirius Black, vet him first?!" he asked incredulously.

"You'll need a vet if you keep talking like that, Pads. And considering he tracked me down after my kidnapping, I'd say he was on the right track, wouldn't you?"

"Kidnapping?! Bella, what the hell have you gotten into?" Sirius yelled into the phone. There was an infant's cry coming through the line.

"Tsk, honestly, Sirius, I just got him calm after his feeding."

"Who?" he asked curiously.

"My son. Callum."

"You have a son?! Since when?"

"SIRIUS!" she yelled into the phone. "Sit. Stay. Shut up. And LISTEN!"

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

Maureen entered her now empty flat with a bag of groceries. She went to put them in the kitchen but was startled from a voice sitting at her table.

"How are you, Mo?"

"Jesus! How'd you get in?" she asked.

"Your lovely daughter."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, taking off her jacket.

"Looking for you. Seems you've been rather busy of late. Taking in street rats and letting them multiply in your home."

"Jimmy O'Phalen. So concerned about keeping his community clean. East Belfast is lucky to have such a son," she said, lighting a cigarette.

"Where are the girl and baby, Maureen?" he asked simply.

"They aren't here. What do you care?"

"They are mine. They belong with me," Jimmy growled.

"That's not my decision. Or yours."

"But you know who's decision it is. You have sway in this town."

"Jimmy. I'm a half-broke shop-keeper. I've no sway with any-" Jimmy lost his temper and swipped his arm across the table, knocking the contents to the floor.

"Things are in flux, darling," he said calmly. "The world is changing. And life and the Short Strand had better bend to it, or we'll all snap like a twig. You need to decide what end of the stick you want to be holding. I'd hate to see you and your tight wee family out on the street."

"I don't know where the baby and his mother are," she said shakily.

Jimmy stood sharply. "I suggest you inquire. Soon, yeah?" Maureen nodded shortly. Jimmy turned to leave but stopped.

"One more thing. You haven't heard from Kerrianne, lately? Have you?" Maureen looked at him puzzled.

"Kerri? No, what has she-"

"Nothing," he said, slamming the door as he left. Didn't think she was there anyway. The girl was smart enough to know she would be the first place he looked.

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

A gunshot rang through the room. Piney and the others now knew that they had made it into the room just beyond the panic room.

"All right, we know the scrips gotta be in there. You guys with the patches, we ain't got no scrap with you. Ain't no reason you should get your head blown off guarding some hippie drugger," came a calm voice through the door. "So, here's the deal. Take what you came for. All you want, on the house. And you just walk away. We both win. What do you say?"

Bobby scoffed and shook his head. "90% of her stuff goes to hospices and clinics," Piney said.

Bobby smiled. "Well, then we say-" he cocked his gun as the others pulled theirs and open fired through the door. But it didn't last long before return fire came through. They couldn't keep it up. They only had so many rounds with them and they quickly ran out. The rednecks flooded the room and pulled them out, taking their weapons and man handling them out of the cabin. Only to run into their back up.

"Got your boys!" the head idiot holding Piney said. "You put them guns down or grandpa gets his head blown off."

"This ain't the way to handle it," Clay said.

"Do it! Now!" he demanded. It was his unlucky chance that more Sons rolled up just after this demand and started pulling their guns.

"Should I call for more backup?" Clay asked. "Your move, Fester."

"Shit!" the head idiot exclaimed as he and his boys were disarmed. "Why the hell are you doing this?" he asked Piney, who took his sawed off. Piney looked at him with contempt before hitting him in the side of the head with the but of his own gun.

"Because we're the good guys," he said, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

All of the thugs were rounded up and zip tied so they couldn't cause more harm. Juice came out with two bags and Opie with a third.

"Found these in the van," he said, opening one up. "Whoa! More goodie-bags," he said.

Honey came over and looked inside. "That's not mine. Must've hit somebody else up, too."

"You should take it," Jax said.

Honey sifted through the bag. "It's HIV protocol stuff. Steroids. Not my niche. It's got a lot of street value though."

"Throw it in the van," Clay said, pursing his lips.

"Money's money," Juice said as Honey handed Bobby a smallish box.

"You made a crazy ex-wife very happy," he said kindly. "Thank you."

She then went over to Happy with a box quite a bit larger. "For your ma."

"Thank you," he said in his rough voice.

"I think y'all earned it," she said before making her way to Piney.

"Whenever you need any help, Rogue River SOA is only 20 minutes away," he said with concern.

Honey wiped at the blood at the corner of his mouth with her sleeve before giving him a deep kiss of thanks. There were wolf whistles and cheers from the other boys, but she ignored them.

"I'll be fine," she said softly.

"I know."

"Knock it off," she said playfully to the others as she made her way back into her home.

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

Gemma was guiding Nate to the building as Carlisle followed. "I'll go tell them we're here," he said, and Gemma nodded as she sat her father on the bench outside.

"Daddy? Do you know where we are?" she asked, trying to find some sort of recognition in his far away gaze.

"Where's Rose?" he asked.

Gemma shook her head. "She's not here."

"I want to go home. Take me home," he tells her.

"Daddy..."

"Please."

They looked up to see Carlisle and another doctor come out. "No, please, please, just- just- just take me- take me home," he pleaded with her. It broke Gemma's heart, and she had to force herself to remain strong. For this moment at least. "Please."

"I-I can't."

"I want to go home!" Nate demanded.

"I know, dad."

"This way, Nate," the doctor said gently, trying to take the man inside.

"No, no, I-I… I want to go home."

"There's lots of people waiting to meet you."

Nate continued to cry out that he wanted to go home. Carlisle put a comforting arm around her shoulders, but it did little to help.

"I'm sorry, dad. Daddy..."

She broke down once he was in the building, Carlisle guiding her back to the bench. "Let's go home. See your grandson. You need your family, right now," he said calmly. Gemma nodded, but her phone rang. She pulled it out and saw it was Angela.

"Yeah," he said a bit roughly.

"Gem? Are you all right?" Angela asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, baby, I'm fine. What's the matter?"

"Nothing's wrong. Just wanted to let you in on two points of news," Angela said, knowing from Gemma's tone she was far from okay. She had planned on telling her and Jax together, but maybe this was for the best.

"And they are," Gemma said a little impatiently.

"One, we're going to Belfast. Bella and Chibs are getting married there and they want everyone with them."

"Quick bastard. And the second?"

"I'm pregnant!" Gemma's sobbing stopped completely as she almost literally choked on the news. She was going to be a grandmother again.

"I was going to tell you and Jax together...buuuuuttt…. Well, we girls sorta need to know first and come up with a game plane, eh?" she chuckled.

"That we do, darlin'. That we do."


	5. Turning and Turning

_**A/N 2/4/2019: Oh, beauties. This first month of 2019 has been, in the words of Deadpool, "About as fun as a sandpaper dildo." All culminating in frostbite! That shit HURTS! My ear is still peeling! All right, so it wasn't totally frostbite. I think the term is frostnipped. It's like, the first stage of frostbite. Think a reverse sunburn...I told my dad I call it a coldburn. -56* here, because where I'm at caught the bottom of the polar vortex on tuesday. My truck overheated in subzero temps, I got frostnipped ears, and I loose my wallet and everything in it. It was what I term a Murphy day. Where Murphy's law just ran amok with my life. I then had a message telling me it had been about a month since I last updated, and I was surprised and shocked that so much time had passed since I had been so busy, it just flew by. I thought I'd post what I had for the next chapter and then try to make the one after that longer.**_

 _ **I also hate to do this, y'all. But I don't believe I will continue with a 4th season. I am happy where this is leading, and I don't want to jeopardize my quality of writing by trying to forcefully continue the story line. So SSN 3 will be the last. In the mean time, I need to figure out how to free Otto! rofl. I hope y'all enjoy! And thank you so much for sticking with me.**_

It didn't take long for Belfast to be inundated with bikers from all across the globe. Mere hours. And it all started with the Marauders. Looking back on it, Chibs would feel indebted for the rest of his life towards the President of that little London based MC. Though it didn't stop the feeling of panic he had been feeling for his eldest child. He had gone ballistic when he had heard from everyone he knew in Belfast, that they hadn't seen Kerrianne since before her mother was killed. It was everything Bella could do to try and keep him calm. Fiona may have thought that Chibs had written Kerrianne off, but that was far from the truth. She was blood. His blood. His child, no matter her age.

Bella learned early on that the best way to calm Chibs down was to hand him Callum, so his hands were busy, and let him talk things through. It was in such an instance that Bella's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Bells?" came the familiar voice of the Marauder's President. "You said during your phone call that your man's name was Telford, right?"

"Yes, why?" she asked, looking over to said man.

"Well, Remus and I were riding through town, not far from where you said to meet you actually, when we ran into a young woman who said she's looking for a Telford. Chibs," he explained.

"Her name wouldn't be Kerrianne, would it?" she asked worriedly.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Kerrianne couldn't believe her rotten luck. She had made it this far, the SAMBEL clubhouse wasn't even a kilometer away when some of Jimmy's younger thugs had caught her. They hadn't known exactly who she was, apparently, however, because they were currently arguing over whether or not she was in fact Kerrianne Larkin. Especially since she said her name was Telford. It appeared Jimmy didn't tell his underlings of her birth name, to his detriment. She had tried to make a run for it, but there were too many, and they had caught her again in no time, and she received a nice new bruise on her cheek for her efforts.

"I'm telling you, it's her. She matches the description Jimmy gave us perfectly," the pock marked egg head argued.

"She said her name was Telford, not Larkin," countered his bespeckled ginger friend.

"And you don't think that she would have lied about her name if she were trying to keep low?"

"And if it's not her? Do you really want to catch Jimmy's ire for bringing him the wrong girl?" asked the third companion. This one rather cute in a boyish sort of way. Too bad the idiot was working for immy. She had a thing for the pretty ones.

It was then she caught the sound of motorcycles. Hanging out with Trinity, the sound was well known to her, and as welcome as a fresh out of the dryer pair of socks. She'd have to time it perfectly though. She would only get one more chance at this, and they would know for sure afterwards. Waiting until she was able to see the bikes turn the corner of the block from where she was being held just inside the shadiest part of an alley, she shot half a glance at her captors before making a bee line straight for the road. It took but half a second for the others to catch on to what she was doing, but it was a half second she used well.

Making it to the middle of the street, she flung her hands out in front of her in a stop gesture. "STOP! Please, help me!" she yelled.

The bikers weren't the Sons she expected to see. In fact, judging from their unfamiliar faces and the strange patches on their Kuttes, she'd wager they weren't Sons at all. They skidded to a stop just inches from her.

"Jesus Fucking Christ!" shouted the one with sandy blond hair and a set of running down his face.

"Hey! Beat it, Englishman! She's ours," said the pretty one.

"And it takes three of you young gentleman to handle one girl. She's what? 115 soaking wet?" said the one with dark hair, with a smile towards Kerrianne. If the boy chasing her was pretty, this man was pantie wetting gorgeous. "What's your name, young lady?"

"Kerrianne. Kerrieanne Telford," she said, taking a gamble. She had thought that she had made a mistake, when one of the boys chasing her, backhanded her.

"Miserable bitch! I knew yeh were lying!" he shouted as she fell to the ground hard. She heard the two on the bikes shouting in protest.

"Hey!"

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

Kerrianne put a hand to her now smarting face and looked up blearily at her attackers, and the two men she had stopped. They had accosted the three boys and had them subdued in front of her, before the dark haired one offered her a hand. She looked up into his face and saw he was smiling gently down to her.

"Are you alright, Miss. Kerrianne?" She hesitantly placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her up.

"Aye," she started to say timidly, before she found her resolve. "Aye, I am now. Bastards cornered me just as I was making my way to the SAMBEL clubhouse."

"You're associated with the Sons of Anarchy? Wait a minute! You said your name was Telford?" the sandy blond asked.

"Aye. My da is a member of the Redwood Original charter in California. I was hoping to make my way to SAMBEL and ask for passage to the states to see him."

"And his name?" he asked as the dark haired one pulled out his phone.

"Filip. Filip Telford, though everyone calls him Chibs."

The dark haired one held up a finger to his lips as he placed his call.

"Hello?" she barely heard from the other end.

"Bells?" he asked. "You said during your phone call that your man's name was Telford, right?"

"Yes, why?" came the halting reply.

"Well, Remus and I were riding through town, not far from where you said to meet you actually, when we ran into a young woman who said she's looking for a Telford. Chibs," he explained.

"Her name wouldn't be Kerrianne, would it?" she asked worriedly.

"It is indeed. She'd found herself in a spot of trouble before she almost got herself run over by Remus and I," he tells her.

"Sirius, you need to bring her here! Filip is going out of his mind with worry," she rushed out.

"Well then. Let's not keep the poor man waiting," he said, shutting his phone. He then turned to Kerrianne. "Okay. I have good news, better news, and fantastic news. Which would you like first?"

"Start at the beginning I suppose," she said curiously.

"According to our dear friend Al, it's the best place to start! Well, the good news is, I know a gal who know's your father," he said.

"And the better news?"

"You're father is here in Ireland, and my dear friend Remus and I are to be your escorts to him."

He then paused. It seemed he had a flair for the dramatic. "Aye, keep going. What's the fantastic news?"

"You have a new baby half-brother!" Kerrianne looked at him, stunned.

"Come again?"

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Gemma wheeled Abel's stroller into the clubhouse, finding her husband sitting alone at the redwood table, lost in thought. She took a moment to appreciate how much the man had changed in the time since Izzy and Angela had found themselves amongst the Sons. She then knocked lightly on the door, breaking Clay out of his contemplation.

"Hey," he greeted, walking up to him and placing a kiss to his lips.

"Hey, baby. You doing okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she said, looking down at her grandson. "Yeah, I'm doing okay. Better at least. Angela thought I'd like to take him for the day. She's using the time to pack for Ireland."

"How, uh- How are you doing with that?" he asked.

Gemma sighed. "Jax goes to Belfast, stones get unturned."

"I know."

"Bound to happen, I guess," she said, pulling Abel from his stroller and cradling him to her chest.

"You going to be okay with that? Going over there and having to see her? You know that she's going to try and play queen of the club. She got her hooks into JT and convinced him we were together long before we actually were. He was the one who was pulling away from you. He was the one who was unfaithful first!" he growled.

"A lot has happened since then. I'll pull Jax aside. Give him what he needs to know. We don't want that bitch pouring poison in his ear the way she did with JT and McGee." Clay reached out and took her hand. They sat like that, like they had many times before, in companionable silence. Taking and giving comfort the way only long time lovers do, before there was another knock on the door.

Both turned to see that it was Unser.

"Hey, Wayne," Gemma said.

"Hey. Heard you were home and that you had a rough time of it with you dad. Thought I'd come by and see that you were okay," he said kindly.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Good."

"Hey, any word on Hale?" Clay asked.

"Ah, another reason, I'm here. The kid is doing good. He's stable and off the ventilator, though they want to keep him in the ICU for observation. The town currently is in a state of uncertainty. Most folks are okay with you. Helps that that Jasper kid saved the boy standing next to him. But there are some who are being swayed by Jacob Hale. They're struggling with SAMCRO. Most of them are on the City Council and they are looking over my shoulder with a magnifying glass. I don't know how much interference I can run in the mean time," he said honestly.

"What does that mean for us?" Clay asked.

"Means I may have to play cop more often than not. I'll do what I can, but it's not going to be any of the big stuff I've been covering for."

"We'll work with it."

Gemma noticed Jax in the bar area and got up to intercept him, kissing Clay and throwing a smile to Unser on her way out. Using the hand not supporting Abel, she withdrew a chain from her pocket with two rings on it. It was time for a monumental push, she thought.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Bobby, Juice, and Tig parked their bikes outside Lumpy's boxing joint. Bobby looked up at the signs neighboring, and saw that they were mostly spray pained **Closed.**

"When did Rupert's close?" he asked.

"I don't know, man, but this whole blocks gone derelict," Tig replied.

"What the hell?" he muttered.

They entered Lumpy's and saw that he was couching a young man. "Arms up! Arms up!" yelled the spritely elder as he held up the punching pads.

"Lumpy!" Bobby called. He looked up and smiled at the Sons.

"Oh, hey. John, take five."

"Come here, brother," Tig said, embracing him.

"Tig! How are you? Hi, Bobby," he said excitedly, shaking the rounder Son's hand.

"What happed to Rupert's," he asked as Juice went into the back to talk to some of the boxers.

"Oh, Rupert's closed about six weeks after the pawn shop folded. And Leo's about a month before that."

"Man. They just went belly-up?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no. They made them offers they couldn't refuse."

"What are you talking about?" Tig asked.

"Some kind of corporate interest's coming to buy up the block. All I know, is some guy in a suit comes by every other week. Each time he's got a little more money and a little less patience," Lumpy said, giving Tig a knowing look.

"What guy?" Bobby asked.

"I don't know. I don't know, and I don't care. I sell this place, I got nothing."

"We're good," Juice said to his brothers.

"Hey Juice," Lumpy said, shaking his hand as the boys headed out.

"Take it easy, Lump," Tig said.

"You hand in there," Bobby put in.

"Okay, good-bye," the elderly man said.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Stahl was in a bind. She had nothing on the Sons, and Jimmy up and vanishes back to his homeland, where Fiona turns up dead. Suffocated. Kerrianne is in the wind, and they were still no closer on finding Isabella Swan. Though she was sure the Sons had a lead on her since Filip Telford and her father, Charlie, had apparently been sighted in Belfast as well. She was desperate. If she didn't bring in something on either the Irish or the Sons, she might as well start practicing her 'Would you like fries with that?' smile.

If only she could gain some leverage on someone in the club! But it seems that since those two girls entered the club life, they'd managed to single handedly close any sort of gap she could extort. Heaving a heavy sigh, she started going through her files once again. Hoping to find something she had over looked. Though she seriously doubted it at this point.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Angela managed to corner Jax, funnily enough, as she was going in to the hospital to have her check up. Just to confirm beyond a reasonable doubt that she was pregnant, though she was sure that she was. She was walking out the door when she quite literally ran into him. She would have fallen on her ass if his arms hadn't shot out and firmly but gently, took hold of her upper arms.

"Hey! Just the girl I wanted to see," he smiled down at her. A smile she returned. "Going somewhere?"

Angela nodded. "I was actually. And since you're here. You can take me. I have an appointment at St. Thomas."

"Are you all right? You're not sick are you?" he asked worriedly. Angela shook her head as she closed the door behind her and taking his hand, steering him towards his bike.

"No. Not sick. Just checking up on something. It's actually the perfect that I ran into you, because now you can take me."

"Okay," he said, pursing his lips. He handed her the helmet and climbed onto his bike, making sure that she was holding on tightly before he pulled out of the drive.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Chibs practically ran out of Liam's house as he saw two motorcycles and three people pull into the drive. His daughter was just as impatient to see her father.

"My girl! My little lass," he said emotionally as she ran into his arms. Chibs felt like these past days had put his emotions through the meat grinder. And now that his daughter was once again with him, all was right with the world again.

"Da." He pulled back to have a look at her, his eyes immediately zeroing in on a bruise forming on her cheek. He brought his hand up and gently ran his thumb across it.

"Are you injured, lass?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I've had worse. And would have had if it wasn't for Sirius and Remus," she said, looking back at the two who helped her. Chibs' focus shifted to the two men and he held out one hand to them, keeping Kerrianne close with his other.

"I don't think I could ever repay you," he said as Sirius took his hand.

Sirius shook his head. "It was no bother. Gave us a bit of fun on the way in, and we made a new friend. I'd chalk that up to a good day, anytime," he said, shaking his hand. "Sirius Black. Acting president of The Marauders. This is my VP, Remus Lupin."

The scarred man stepped forward with a small smile. Chibs would have though he was of the timid sort, if the mischief in his eyes hadn't given him away.

"Izzy said you were comin'. Please, come inside. I want to introduce you to your brother," he said down to Kerrianne, who beamed at him.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Is this the van?" Tig asked.

"Yeah, that's the Chicken Man," Juice said, pulling up the duffel.

"High roller," Bobby said as they heard the engine squealing as he pulled in.

"He's a little paranoid, so just let me deal with this one," Juice said, rounding the bikes and approaching the van's passenger window.

"Juan Carlos. May I assume the stimulants are in your backpack bag?" the farmer asked.

"Yes, Chicken. May I assume you have the cash?" Juice asked.

"Yes," Chicken said, looking around. "Oh, would you mind getting in? Talking this way makes me feel very conspicuous."

Juice gave a chuckle. "All right." He went to open the door when a movement in the wing mirror to his right caught his attention. He turned his head slightly, angling his body to make it look like he was moving out of the way of the door to open it, when he saw that there were Mexican in the back of the van.

He didn't waste any time. Instead of opening the door, he ran back towards Tig and Bobby. "Calaveras!" he said quickly, having recognized Salazar. They all pulled their side arms and started firing on the van. Chicken throwing it into drive and pulling away, like the coward his name implied.

"Shit!" Tig exclaimed.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

The three Sons entered the clubhouse, Tig immediately calling for everyone to gather around the Redwood.

"What happened?" Clay asked, seeing the duffel that should have been handed off by now.

"Salazar and two CL were waiting to jump us from the Chicken Man's van. Caught sight of them before they could do anything and fired. Bastards got away," Juice explained.

"Think I may have more intel on why. I just got off the phone with T.O. Bastard's got intel where the Mayans may be setting up their heroin shop- Industrial park out by the Make Hill bend. You, Bobby, and Chibs." Juice nodded. All right.

They all rose but Bobby stopped Tig on the way out, noticing Chuck. "Oh, hey!"

"What?"

"Salazar and his crew never saw you or I, but I'm not exactly in top shape. We may need more than one unfamiliar face to scope this place out."

Tig looked towards Chuck. "You willing to go undercover, Chucky?"

"I accept that," he said with a jittery smile.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Jax followed Angela through the halls of St. Thomas- towards the all too familiar maternity ward.

"Angel?" he asked when they got through the doors, stopping her.

"This is why I was coming today. I took an at home test with Donna. And your mother already knows of course. But I wanted it to be set in stone before I said anything. If I am, I want you to be there for everything!" she said with an excited smile.

Jax could have sworn his heart had stopped and then started again twice as fast and twice as hard, wanting to jump out of his chest. He pulled her into his arms, and kissed her with all of the love and need in his body. Angela responded in kind, wrapping her arms about his shoulders and burying her hands in his hair. The need for oxygen eventually forced them apart. Jax resting his forehead against hers as they composed themselves.

"Marry me?" he asked, now understanding his mother's need to give him her and his father's rings.

Angela smiled up at him. "As if you need to ask," she said playfully, kissing him gently as he slid his mother's ring onto her finger.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Followed one of Salazar's lieutenants, two other Calaveras to a janitorial supply house," T.O. said, gesturing to a building some ways away. "Been coming every day. Madina Industries. Now, it could just be a Mexican day job, but thought it might be worth looking at."

"All right. Cool," Tig said, taking T.O.'s hand. "Thanks, bro."

"Need us to back you up?" Lander, T.O.'s VP, asked.

"No, man, we're good. We're good," Tig said, bidding him farewell too.

"Happy hunting," T.O. said as they left.

Tig walked up to the building while the others waited in the van. He approached the dock manager, looking a bit lost.

"Hey, man. I'm here to pick up supplies for my boss, but I… I forgot all my paperwork," Tig said.

"All right. You got a PO number?" the manager asked, looking at his clipboard and pulling a pen from behind his ear.

"No, I got nothing. Uh, Hale Sewage Removal. H-A-L-E," Tig said as the clipboard was consulted.

"Uh, it's not here. Let me go check the system. Be right back."

The manager unlocked the gate and went through, Tig making sure it didn't close by putting his foot in the way. He waited for Chucky to catch up, hobbling uncertainly across the lot.

"Come on. Come on, hurry up," he said, pulling him through the gate and letting it close. He pulled out two clipboards and guided him through the warehouse.

"All right. You're gonna take this aisle to the right. Act Mexican," he stressed.

"What do I do if I see something?"

"You're gonna come back to that van alive. Now, go."

Tig lightly stepped up and peered into an office before noticing a schedule on the cork board in front of him. He pulled out his phone and took pictures of the first and second page. But then his phone buzzed in his hand and he answered.

"Bro, CL. Get out!" Opie said quickly.

"Shit. I better find Chucky," he said turning, and seeing said Chucky being manhandled by Salazar and one of his crew. "Oh, man. Shit, shit. They just found him."

He hung up and ran to a fork lift, and drove it right into a stack of cleaner, spilling it all over the Mexicans using Chucky as a punching bag. In their confusion, he grabbed the nearly fingerless man and pulled him towards the exit.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Jax watched the screen in awe as the little life inside his Angel moved. The doc had confirmed it. Angela was about 6 weeks along.

"You better make an honest woman of me before they get here, Teller. I'm a God fearing woman, after all," she teased with happy tears in her eyes.

"Mom told me about your deal with God when she gave me her and my old man's rings," he said with a smile.

"All right, fine. So I'm not God fearing. But I would like to have something to tease Bells with."

"Ah, so now I get to the real root of the matter," he whispered, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Would you two like pictures?" the technician asked. Both nodded.

"Yes. A few copies, please," Jax said.

"Is it safe to fly while pregnant?" Angela asked.

"Should be so. Where were you planning on going?" she asked.

"My best friend is getting married in Ireland. We were going to leave in the next couple of days," Angela explained.

"I'm not so sure about the long trip, but you're healthy enough. I want you to check in with the local clinic where you'll be staying. Have them check in on you, and then come see us again when you get back." Angela smiled and nodded, promising she would do just that.


	6. The Push

_**A/N 2/18/2019: I'm back on using my hotspot. Trying to keep interwebz when your paycheck is being eaten as you support someone who has a hard time finding a job is a pain. So there's that. lol I'm trying not to fall behind on my updates, but that's hard with the saturday OT at work. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy. Oh! Lemon alert for the end of the chapter. It's been a while since we've seen some lovin' and I think Jax and Ange make a sweet couple, don't y'all?**_

It was later in the morning that found most of the present members of the SoA, the Redwood charter or otherwise, and a few of the Coven, discussing what needed to be done before they made their way to Belfast.

"We need to find a way to get rid of our current drug holdings. Got an unofficial warning from Unser that he's being monitored. I don't want any of that shit here should we get a surprise visit," Clay said.

"We were able to get rid of the stuff with street value easy enough, thanks to Lumpy. But the HIV protocol stuff-, that's something we're going to have to find a way to peddle to a needy clinic," Tig said.

"Doc? Any ideas?" Clay asked Carlisle.

"I've got one or two in the area. Give me an hour. Information is going to cost you though. 3 percent. And that's the friendly discount," he said with a small smirk.

"I don't see a problem with that," Clay responded. "We're not exactly hard up for the cash. I just want it gone by the end of the day. Call it a 'just in case'." Carlisle nodded, and dug out his phone.

"Where are we at with the Mayans?" Opie asked.

"Based on that delivery schedule, that dope shipment's set to leave for Stockton today at 1:00," Tig informed them.

"Now, that rout from Lodi to Stockton is all main roads and highways. No place off the grid to take it down," said Piney.

"Then let's get creative," said Jax. "They're trying to stay under the radar, right? Means there won't be too many bodies."

"What time is the meet set with Alvarez?" asked Clay.

"3:00. I left word for him at his warehouse. Hopefully he'll show," Tig said.

"We snatch up his heroin, he'll show," Clay said assuredly as he rose. "We got a vote to get out. Gotta get Chibs and Charlie on the horn for their votes since they both refused a proxy. Promised they'd both be awake."

"I got my transfer letter," Kozik said, handing the said letter to Clay.

"Oh, good. All right, we got the prospects and Happy inside. Let's get it done."

"Hey, give me a minute?" Kozik asked Tig as the dark haired man rose.

"Look, man, I know-" Kozik fumbled, toppling a beer bottle in his nervous state. He righted it. "I know-"

Tig, whose focus remained on the now foaming bottle, was getting impatient. "What? What do you know?"

"I'm not expecting you to be okay with this," Kozik finally managed.

"Good." Tig went to go inside but his attention was again pulled to the hopeful transfer as he spoke again.

"I can be an asset to the charter, all right? I'm just asking you to give me a chance."

Tig let Kozik stew in his silence for a couple of moments, before asking, "You done?"

"Yeah." And with that, Tig entered the clubhouse.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

It was to a unanimous vote of 'yea's' that had Clay hammering the gavel down and ordering the new prospects into room around the redwood. Tig opened the door and three young men, barely out of boyhood, entered, as he picked up three kuttes with a prospect rocker on the bottom.

"Well, boys. The easy part is over," he said, punctuating the last three words as he handed over the kuttes.

"I get it, man," said one of the three idiots eagerly.

"Shut up!" Jax bellowed. "You don't say anything unless a member tells you to."

"Prospect period ends minimum one year today," Tig put in, before Bobby took over.

"Dues are 75 bucks a month, due on the first."

"Welcome," said Clay as he let out a huff of cigar smoke. "Don't get yourself killed."

"And get the hell out of here," Opie said softly but in a demanding tone. They all filed out again, but, like the newbies they were, they forgot something.

"Shut the door!" All of the brothers yelled at them. The last one out, a prospect named Filthy Phil, hurried back to do their bidding. There were soft chuckles at the poor new idiot prospects.

"I got two requests for transfer, one from Tacoma, one from the nomads. Chibs? You and Charlie on the line?" Clay asked an open phone on speaker in front of them.

"Aye. We're here. Izzy, too, as she had a request of her own," came the reply.

"How are you doing, Izzy-girl?" Tig asked in worry.

"Callum and I are doing good, Tiggy. You'll meet your godson when you get here," she said. Tig's entire face was nearly split in half by his smile.

"Kozik and Happy both want to be a part of SAMCRO," Clay said, getting back to the topic at hand. "Just want to say, from me, both these guys would make welcome additions. And, to be honest, we need you. So… let's vote it. Happy? Yea."

"Yea."

"Yea."

"Aye," came Chib's vote, followed by Charlie's 'yea'.

"Yea."

"Yes," rumbled Piney.

"Yea."

"Yeah."

So it came down to Jax, who took a moment, letting everyone wait in anticipation, before a mischievous grin gave him away. "Yeah!"

Clay hit the gavel, making it official. "Kozik, yea."

"Nay," Tig said, freezing the jubilant atmosphere.

"Jesus Christ. Really?" Clay asked. Tig shook his head.

"I don't trust him, man." Clay took up the gavel, but hesitated before hitting it angrily, ending the vote.

There was a moment of silence before Jax addressed the phone. "Izzy? What was your request?"

"Otto. How long was his sentence for originally?" she asked.

"6 years for second degree murder and grand theft auto," Clay said.

"Is it really a necessity for him to continue to be inside? I'm assuming he's an asset for knowing what goes on and how to get protection and whatnot, but how useful is he now?" she asked.

Clay nodded, seeing her point. The man was now practically blind, and that wasn't too safe in Stockton. "We could do without his input. Lenny of the first 9 is still on the inside. He can take over the AB network and still maintain our ties to the Russian mafia easily enough. What do you have in mind?"

"An early anniversary present for Luann," Bella said, and they could all hear her smile.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Everyone exited Church, celebrating Happy's transfer from the Nomads, Bobby handing him his new patches and pulling him into a rough hug. Kozik stuck near Clay.

"Sorry, man. I thought he was on board," Clay said to him consolingly.

"Whatever."

"You stick around, you understand?"

"Yeah. Tig just wants you to know how big his dick is. We'll vote again in a couple weeks. You'll be SAMCRO," Jax said with surity.

"Yeah? I'm going to start the healing," Kozik said, walking quickly up to Tig and punching him in the soft tissue between his shoulder blade and spine. Tig went down, but Piney helped him up. The others staying out of it, however.

"You son of a bitch," Tig said lowly.

"No fun getting sucker punched, is it?" Kozik challenged.

"No, it's not!" Tig tackled Kozik, starting the brawl as Juice went and quickly moved tables and stools out of the way. Filthy Phil wanted to intervene, but Jax held him back.

"Should we do anything?" he asked, gesturing to the fighting men.

"Yeah. Get some brooms," Jax instructed. "There's a lot of shit to clean up."

"Boys!" Bobby yelled, though he knew better than to physically get in between the two. Kozik grabbed onto the front of Tigs shirt to try and throw him off, but Tig merely steadied himself by grabbing onto Kozik.

"Don't dance! Hit him!" Happy yelled, the blood thirsty glint in his eye. Kozik jumped onto Tig's back, and Tig proceeded to elbow Kozik hard, repeatedly, before he bit into the younger man's hand. Kozik let go and pushed Tig away. Though the former Marine didn't stay away long as he rushed Kozik once again.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"I got a clinic," Carlisle told Clay as he walked into the bar. He looked around at the mild devistation and the clearly beat up Tig and Kozik before focusing again on the SoA president. Seeing that the wounds were mostly superficial and easily being taken care of by the two themselves, he ignored them and spoke again.

"Me, Jasper, Jax, and Bobby? We'll have to go light. They're medical professionals. Spook easily. Seeing bikers may put them off, though I have no problem with them being there."

Clay nodded. "Done deal. We'll get this shit settled and then fly to Belfast."

"Speaking of, we have the way covered. Just need a bit of cash for fuel. The Coven's mother charter is sending their jet. You chip in, we got your backs there and home."

Clay smiled and shook Carlisle's hand.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

It was time to get the insurance needed for the meet with Alvarez. They had found the transport van easily enough. Opie pulled their black van up next to the Calaveras' as if it was just another day, and Happy gladly cracked the sliding door and shot out the rear driver's side tire with is silenced gun before pulling back once more.

The two Calaveras on bikes pulled over with their shipment drivers as Piney and Kozik pulled in behind them with the tow truck.

"Looks like you fellas need some help?" Piney said.

"Tire blew," one of the men said, stating the obvious.

"Doing construction up ahead. You probably picked up a bolt," Kozik explained. "We've been making runs out here all week."

"Looks like you're going to need a new rim. There's a tire shop up off of Mills. I can hook you up and pull you in," Piney offered. "40 bucks."

No one answered, and Piney and Kozik fibbed non interest. "No skin off my nose," Piney shrugged.

"Just handle it soon. The cops'll tow you after three," Kozik said over his shoulder.

"Alright," called the old driver just as they were getting to the tow truck. "My guy's gonna ride with you."

Piney and Kozik shrugged and nodded as they made ready to tow the van.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Kerrianne hummed to her baby brother as she rocked him in his sleep. Bella and Chibs watched on, soft smiles on their faces.

"I was afraid you wouldn't take to Callum so easily. That you'd think I had replaced you or somethin'," Chibs said to her as he held Bella's hand. Kerrianne shook her head.

"No. Da, I remember a lot more than mom or Jimmy ever thought. I remember making breakfast with you. Pillow and blanket forts at Christmas. Bedtime stories filled with daring fights that invaded my dreams. Memories that I held dearer to me than anything they did with or for me. I was only around 5 when you left, but I still knew that it was their fault I no longer had my da. A fault I never forgot for forgave them for."

"I should have come back for you sooner," he said despairingly.

"It wouldn't have done you any good. Might've even gotten you killed. You're here now, and with a brother I will do anything to see grow up happier than myself. I can already tell you his mother is a lot… more, in every way, than my own," she said, smiling at Bella.

"She was still your mother. I'm just sorry there was no other way to save myself," Bella said sadly.

Chibs growled. "Don't you dare start feeling sorry for Fiona, Izzy. It's because of her and that bastard O'Phalen I missed Callum's birth. She would have killed you and gladly handed over Callum to see herself freed from Jimmy."

"Aye, but she was also doing it for her daughter. A sentiment I can easily empathize with now. I'm not condoning it, by any means. But I can understand why. Jimmy is a monster. A scary one when you don't have any protection."

Kerrianne nodded, thinking on the times he managed to corner her. But no more. She was safe. With her father and his new Old Lady.

"So. Now that reunions are out of the way, we have a wedding to plan. Where are your friends? The Marauders?" Kerrianne asked, trying for nonchalance and just failing.

"Why? Have a thing for Remus?" Bella teased. Chibs sat up straight, turning his full attention to his daughter, who blushed and looked away.

"No. But Sirius isn't so bad lookin'," she mumbled. Izzy's grin turned predatory.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Piney turned onto a dirt paved road just down the road from the exit they needed, taking the winding path to his waiting brothers.

"Hey, where the hell are you going?" asked his and Kozik's tag a long.

"A shortcut," Kozik said cooly, before elbowing the kid in the face and pushing him out the truck's door. Piney picked up speed as the two Calaveras following them slowed to see their comrade rolling in the road before catching up to the truck.

Juice, Tig, Happy, Opie, and Bobby all waiting in a line as Piney and Kozik passed them with their weapons drawn. As the Calaveras rolled up, expecting to draw their own guns and start firing, they were halted at the sight of the Sons all firing just enough to scare them off. Which worked like a charm as they promptly turned tail and rode off, heads down.

Once in the clear, they pulled out an oil drum and popped it open, digging in the detergent to find the bags they were looking for.

"Think I found the prize," Opie said, pulling out a bag and opening it.

"Juice, pop the others," Tig said to the junior member.

"Got it."

Reaching in, Bobby pulled out a handful of half filled water balloons. Only it wasn't water they were holding. Bobby was laughing as Tig held out a knife, the tip with a small pile of white powder balanced on it. Bobby dipped his pinky into it and licking the powder. His eyes widened as the taste registered in his sinuses and his brain.

"That'll get rid of some stains," he quipped.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

The Sons plus Jasper met with Alvarez. His Calaveras boy toy fuming over his still busted up face and his botched ambush on Juice.

"What is this, Clay?" Alvarez asked, as he saw the Grim Bastards with him.

"We know you're patching over the Calaveras."

"Cutting and bagging heroin at the janitorial supply house, piping it to Stockton," Jax said.

"If you're here to declare war, consider it already on," Alvarez said.

"We're tired of getting bloody," Clay said. "Your attack at the wake, our showdown with what was left of Zobelle's crew- Why don't we just call it even?"

"Too much history to be even, Clay."

"That's my point. We've been doing this too long, Marcus. Nobody ever wins."

"Get to the point, ese." Clay looked over at Tig, and with a gesture, the Sergent at Arms showed the Mayan president their recent ambush haul.

"I think that you lost something," he said, holding up a handful of the balloons. Alvarez got angry and turned on the Calaveras lacky.

"You stupid little shit!" he bellowed, taking the man by his kutte and yelling at him in spanish.

"Moving high risk cargo is tricky. Things tend to get lost in transit. However, if it comes across our borders again, we can not only guarantee safe passage to Stockton, but see you not loose those connections now that neither Zobelle or Ule are in the picture."

"And that's why you're patching over these idiots, right?" Jax asked. "So shit like this don't happen? We got a better idea. Our brothers in Lodi are more capable, and with our support, your new enterprise is protected."

There was silence for a moment before Clay started again. "We're trying to make peace here."

"And how much is peace gonna cost me, Clay?"

"I'll let the Bastards negotiate their own fee. For us, just a toll. 25K a run."

"We'll consider this the first run," Jax said.

"Last time we made a deal, I lost my son," Alvarez pointed out.

"And you tried to negotiate with Darby to assassinate me. It's what we do. It ain't personal. It's just about the cash. This is the best play for both of us." Alvarez thought for a moment. Then he went to have a whispered conversation with his VP before coming back.

"Okay."

"Means no Mayan charter in Lodi," Jax said.

"Shit," he scoffed. "None of these bitches would have made the cut anyhow."

"This is bullshit, Alvarez. You can't..." but what the Mayan president could or couldn't do was never made clear as his VP took offense to this nobody speaking up against him, decking him so hard in his already busted up face that it took the Calaveras president a while to regain his bearings.

"I need one more thing. There's a rat up at St. Thomas. Testifies at the end of the week."

"Pozo," Jax said connecting the dots.

"Yeah. You handle that, and we're good."

Clay looked at Jax and they both nodded. "Handled," Clay said as he offered his hand. Everyone shook hands. "I'm glad we found your merchandise."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"You and your old man got a plan for this little gathering?" Sirius asked. Bella nodded.

"You, Remus, the Sons, a handful of Coven members. It's small compared to what it could have been, believe me."

Remus shook his head. "I'll never know how so many dangerous people just seem to be drawn to you. You're a bloody danger magnet," he said.

"What about your friends from The Pack. I could have sworn you'd have one or two there with you," Sirius asked.

"No. The only reason those of the Coven that will be there will be, is because they came, apologized, and in one form or another, remained in my life. The Pack apologized, but none came and tried to be friends again. Those bridges are well and truly charcoal."

Sirius hmm'd. "So, you got a place?"

"Siobhan and Liam have offered their place. They have a decent back pasture space that opens up to a decent wood. Perfect Old World feel for a wedding," she beamed. "Kerrianne is getting in touch with Filip's sister and nephew as we speak."

"Ah, the delectable Miss. Telford. Full of fire that one," Sirius said. Bella shook her head.

"You're asking to be flayed alive. You may be treated to the father-boyfriend talk if you decide to pursue her, Paddy."

"Worth it," he tells her simply.

"Just keep in mind, she's half your age." Sirius shrugged.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Ernest Darby was currently thinking over his recent choices. Thinking that it might be time to retire from the drug trade. Especially since his last failure ended up with him being well and truly deep fried over 30% of his body. His arms were bandaged, but still seeping. His face looked like stretched, folded, and freeze dried taffy. And his movements were still exceedingly stiff. He had just settled onto the observation bench when he heard an unknown male voice talking to a doctor outside his room. Nothing new, just two doctors talking about medication. It was the name Jax that piqued his interest.

"Why don't you come out back and see for yourself? Jax is right down the hall," the man offered.

Darby stiffly got up and went to his door, opening it just a crack to see two men in lab coats greet none other than Jax Teller.

"Hey. How you doing?" Jax asked, shaking one doctor's hand.

"This is Dr. Percy. This is Jax," the blonde Doctor introduced the other. Darby followed their progress out of the clinic through his room window, getting a front row seat to the exchange.

"Expiration's good. These are all Alcott Labs, Jerry. Nothing's generic," Carlisle said. Dr. Percy put the two bottles he was examining back in with the others.

"These are great," he said.

"We'll need the money by the end of the day," Jax said.

"I'm not sure if I can get it all. Still county money. Lot of red tape." Jax looked to Carlisle who gave a small smile and nodded.

"Take it," Jax said. The doctor started gathering the bags, and as he went to take the one Jax was holding, Jax held on for a moment. "Get us what you can."

"Thank you," Dr. Percy said.

"Son of a bitch. Sam Crow's in the drug business," Darby said lowly as he watched the exchange.

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~~

Darby met Jacob Hale at the local watering hole, sitting down and taking a small bit of pleasure in ruining the white collar's day.

"How's that pie?" he asked.

"Fresh. What do you want, Darby?" the elder Hale asked.

"I think you might be interested in what I have to say."

"Oh, I can't wait," Hale snarked.

"Saw Jax Teller and an associate at the Kettleman Clinic. They were moving illegal scrips," he said with a smirk.

"And how do you know they were illegal?"

"I know an illegal drug buy when I see one," Darby said, quickly cutting him off.

"The Sons are in the dope business?" he asked skeptically.

"It would appear that way. They probably got a garage full of Oxy."

"And why are you sharing this with me and my pie?" Hale asked.

"Cause I want these assholes to suffer. The cops in this town are in Clay's pocket, and after what happened to your little brother I think that you'd have an ax to grind with the Sons, too," Darby explained.

"You want me to get rid of your competition," Hale concluded.

"Nah, I ain't in the game anymore. Nords are done and almost getting burned to death tends to make one rethink one's priorities."

"Revenge isn't exactly taking the high road," Hale said skeptically, scratching behind his ear.

"Well, just 'cause I ain't dirty doesn't mean that I'm a saint. You got the information. You do what you want. Just figured I'd share the misery and try to do a little good to make up for my shit," Darby said, leaving the booth.

~~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Yeah, I'll- Okay, I'll tell him," Officer Eglee said, hanging up the phone. She then turned to a passing Unser.

"That was the Sanwa Sherriffs. Planning a raid on the Son's Clubhouse. Want us to assist," she said, turning to the paperwork at her desk. Unser hesitated but a moment before continuing to his office, contemplating his next move.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Opie exited the elevator with a small bouquet of flowers. He went up to the desk officer.

"Here to see Angela Weber," he said.

"Uh, Miss. Weber isn't in the room. Went to speak to a nurse about prenatal workup," he said, consulting his computer.

"Mind if I wait?" Opie asked.

"Sure." Opie sat down just outside the closed ward, where an officer was standing guard outside Pozo's room. He looked through the glass in the door and gave Chucky the signal. Said Chucky then pulled the fire alarm and started whooping and hollering, drawing the attention of the guard.

"Is this real?" asked the desk officer.

"I don't know," the guard responded, before he looked to see who was making a racket. "Hey! I know that son of a bitch!" he said, chasing Chucky. Opie sent a text stating the coast was clear.

Kozik and Tig came through in maintenance uniforms and a ladder, which they used to block the camera pointing towards Pozo's room. Kozik stood guard as Tig went to inject his IV with cyanide from a syringe he had pulled from a tool box they had brought with. Only Pozo woke and punched Tig out of the way, causing him to drop the needle. Kozik went and held him down.

"Come on, come on. Get the cyanide," Kozik said lowly. Tig knelt to find the needle, with no luck.

"I can't find it."

"Are you kidding me?!" Kozik asked.

"Shit!"

Pozo grabbed Kozik's hair, but he used the chance and butted his forehead against the patient's nose hard enough to knock him out.

"Jesus Christ!" Kozik said in pain.

"What the hell are you doing, man? We can't hurt this guy," Tig said, though they were there to do more than that.

"Just do it," Kozik demanded, posing the rat, as though he were sleeping as Tig injected the IV with the poison he had found.

In the hall, Opie saw the two guards return with Chucky in toe. He took out his burner and sent a quick text to the two assassins as he got up and stalled them.

"Hey, what'd he do?"

"You know this guy?" one guard demanded.

"Yeah, sort of," Opie said calmly.

"Well, he's sort of under arrest for reckless endangerment and making a false report," the desk guard said as he manhandled Chucky into his office.

"Idiot," he said, as the door guard went passed him.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Brains before bullets, asshole!" Tig yelled to Kozik.

"Really?"

"You slammed the side of his head. Wham! Okay, now if they see that, that's gonna point to homicide."

"And cyanide won't?" Kozik demanded.

"His heart stopped! Could be for a hundred reasons. I mean, even if they do an autopsy, it'll take days. We'll be long gone."

"Well, if you didn't let the little bitch clock you, this never would have happened, right?"

"Yeah."

"Enough. Enough!" Clay yelled. "You blocked the only camera. There's no witnesses or prints. We're all right."

Just then, they heard a ruckus outside the meeting room. "Sanwa County Sheriff! Everybody get down! Down!" They heard. They all rushed out of the room only to be pushed to the ground. Sheriff Eglee, who was on somewhat of an even ground with the club, apologized to Jax before she made him eat the floor.

It took the better part of an hour for the cops to start leaving as they found nothing that would lead them to be arrested. Only a few were left as the Sons gathered near the picnic tables.

"Clubhouse and garage are all clean. No pharmaceuticals," the heard an officer call to Unser.

"This ain't about Pozo. This is search and seizure," Jax said softly.

"They're looking for scrips," Bobby said.

"How the hell did they know?" Juice asked.

"This is bullshit," Clay said as Tig got a call.

Clay went to talk to Unser as he got into a cruiser. He grabbed to officer's door before it could be closed.

"What? No kiss at the end of the night? After all, you had put together such a lovely date," snarked Clay.

"I didn't know until the last fucking minute! I sent you a text via the prepay 10 minutes beforehand, but seeing as you had come out of the meeting room, it's obvious you didn't get it," Unser explained. "I told you I was under a fucking microscope. It was the best I could do with Mrs. Fed breathing down my neck for any scrap of shit to pin on the club."

Clay growled and slammed the door, making he way to the others. "We're gonna have to keep our own eye on Cancer boy," Clay said.

"Clay, Carlisle just called. Plane is ready when we are," Tig said. Opie spotted a familiar hybrid pull into the lot and Lyla and Ima got out. Lyla going straight up to Opie as Ima made her way to Jax.

"Tell him we'll head out tomorrow. Give our girls time to get everything together," he said with a smile.

"What were all the cops here for?" Lyla asked the friendly giant.

"Ah, they're just rattling our cages. What's she doing with you?" Opie asked. Lyla looked at the other porn star's progress towards the VP. She shrugged. Gave her a lift on the way here. Figured if she wanted to die at Angela's hands so much, I'd at least get a front row seat. Have you seen Jasper?" she asked him.

"Yeah, said he had an errand to run earlier this morning in Oakland. Said Izzy helped him with something and needed to 'hit while the iron was hot', or something," he said.

Ima went up to Jax as he was putting his helmet on, as she put on her best innocent act. No one seems to have told her that while the act was a perfect act for the porn industry, it was completely too exaggerated for the real world.

"This is probably a bad time, but I was hoping to get a lift home," she said.

Jax scoffed. "You're right, it is a bad time," he snapped as he pulled out.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Jax gave a pleasure filled moan as he pistoned his cock in and out of Angela's tight little channel. Her head thrown back as she keened her own pleasure, clawing at his shoulders and leaving a trail of fingernail marks as the feelings inside of her thrashed about, looking for a way to escape but finding no outlet. Jax was being methodical in his mapping of her body. Kissing and licking all of the right erogenous zones until she was a writhing mass of want. Flicking her clit here and there to heighten her feelings, bringing her to the edge, but never quite letting her fall over it. Jax shifted his hips and his cock brushed the perfect spot within her causing Angela to cry out, and lock her ankles around his slim hips. Just being in Ima's presence made him feel dirty. Made him feel like he needed to beg Angel for her forgiveness.

"Jax! Jax, please. Please, let me..." she begged, as her hips continued to rise to meet his every thrust. Jax looked up from her perfect heaving tits to her gorgeously flushed face. Seeing the hungry lust and pure love shining in her eyes, he picked up the pace, hiking a perfectly toned leg up higher as he once again shifted his hips to hit her g-spot and her clit at the same time continuously. Angela went wild as the the coil within her tightened.

"That's it, Angel. Oh, Jesus! Baby, I- Oh, FUCK!"

With one hand tangled in her hair, he brought his other to play with her pert little nipple, standing at attention in her arousal. Angela moaned again just as he bent down and claimed her mouth in a hungry kiss. He could feel her slick walls fluttering around his straining cock, warning of her impending release. It was at this point, his Angel looked up into his eyes and clearly said the words that he would gladly destroy the world to hear.

"I love you," she said with a needy, breathy edge to her voice, as she threw her head back and came. Her walls clenching him like a snug vice. Jax bellowed her name in pure adoration as his finish was pulled from him. He continued to pump into her as every last bit of his seed shot into her, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

"I love you, too, Angel," he said softly back, once he had regained some of his senses. "And nothing will change that."


	7. Widening Gyre

_**A/N 2/22/2019: Shorter chapter, I know, but considering the episode itself didn't have much I could work with, I think I did okay. lol I got lucky in being able to even write this. The amount of OT I've been doing at work is insane enough, I needed to call a mental health day. It's pretty much just a day where I say, Fuck It, and call out. I've lost a good chunk of my OT, but since I'm perpetually broke anyhow, I can live with it. I'm even back to using my phone's hotspot to upload chapters instead of handy interwebz... because interwebz is expensive. lol Anywho, I hope y'all enjoy!**_

The morning that a handful of Sons and their old ladies were to make the flight to Belfast found Jax lying in a bit later than he normally would have slept. His beautiful pregnant fiancée lying on her stomach, her naked back exposed. He lay there for a few moments after he had awakened. Taking in her beautiful tanned skin, smirking at the revelation that she had no tan lines. He ran his hand lightly down her back, trailing the line of her spine down, then back up to caress her shoulder, where he placed a firm but gentle kiss.

Angela gave a soft smile, and opened her eyes to meet Jax's steel blue gaze. Neither said a word. Neither had to. Angela merely snuggled into his side as he gathered her into his arms and placed a kiss at the crown of her head. They lay there for some time, just basking in the other's presence, before Angela spoke.

"Who all is coming to Belfast with us?" she asked.

"Tig you wouldn't be able to keep away for anything. Especially since Izzy named him Callum's godfather. Bobby will stay here, keep things running and to keep an eye on the prospects. Opie is staying to keep an eye on Kenny and Ellie. Bonding time he says, giving Donna a girl's vacation. Jasper and Lyla are coming. Clay, Gemma, and Happy. Piney's running the show. Don't know about Juice yet," he lists off.

"We'll have to turn Gemma loose on them. Give them a party when they come back for those that aren't going to Ireland," she teased.

Jax chuckled. "I thought Izzy was your best friend? You would subject her to such torture?"

"Absolutely," she whispered, as she began kissing his chest, and sliding her hands where her mouth wasn't.

"You just enjoy inflicting pain, don't you?" he said huskily. Angela chuckled, then gave the soft flesh of his side a hard nip. He gasped and then moaned at the roughness of her actions.

Neither Jax nor Angela were aware of Ima making her way through the clubhouse as if she belonged there in a tight, sleeveless, black dress in the loosest of the definition. Opie, who had crashed in his dorm room the night before owing to some club business that ran late, stepped out of said room just as she turned into the hall. He didn't say anything. Just leaned against his door jam to enjoy the show. The woman really was either a masochist or an idiot. He'd put money on the latter.

She stopped outside of Jax's door, smoothing the fabric she thought constituted as clothing before she reached out and, without knocking, opened Jax's room.

Her smile froze as she saw Jax, his eyes closed and his head thrown back in ecstasy as Angela's head bobbed up and down on his cock. Sucking and moaning as he tangled his fingers in her hair and raised his hips to meet her exquisite little mouth. One of her hands cradling and playing with his balls and her other clawed down his abs.

Ima's fists balled and relaxed. Balled and relaxed, before she turned on her heel, and ran, making it only two or three strides before she spotted Opie in his doorway. He gave her a predatory smirk, and not the kind that said he wanted to bed her. But the kind that caused her blood to run cold.

"You know, I was just wondering, I shit you not, if you were a sucker for punishment, or an airhead? I had just put my money on airhead when you opened that door," he said softly as the sound's of Jax and Angela's pleasure started to carry into the hall. "Trying to bed the boss won't get you your job back. It's not him that owns Cara Cara. The club is just the muscle. And that's beside the fact your trying to take the man of the actual owner's best friend."

Ima gave a soft pathetic growl as she tried to make her escape, but Opie stopped her. He had a point to get across. He firmly took her by the throat and pushed her into the opposite wall, as the noises got faster and more intense as Jax and Angela raced to their finish.

"You do anything to hurt this club, Angela, or Izzy, I will personally make sure we'll no longer have to look at your disease ridden snatch, do you understand me?" he growled. Ima wimpered, a few tears making their way down her face as her hands tightly gripped the wrist of the hand holding her to the wall. Opie tighted said hand marginally. "I asked you a question!"

Ima began nodding as furiously as his grip allowed. "I-I understand!" she managed to get out. Tilting his head, he listened to the sounds coming from Jax's room. He held her there, wanting to make a point. Jax was a taken man. That he wouldn't even contemplate being with this whore with a tunnel so big a semi could drive through. That and he wanted to torture her just a little bit with what she obviously couldn't have.

His smirk at her widened as the show came to a climax, literally.

"AH- AHH! Yes! Jax! JA-AX!" came Angela's voice, as she had obviously hit her big O. Jax's moan signaling his finish merely moments after.

Opie gave a small shove and pushed Ima towards her longed for exit, and watched her scramble her well used cunt out of the clubhouse.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Bobby met up with Tig and Clay at the Redwood.

"T.O. called," Bobby said. "Bastards need help."

"What happened?" Clay asked.

"We couldn't- couldn't tell. He was crying too hard, man," Tig said.

"Oh, shit! Call Jax," he said as he and the other two made their way out of the bar.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"Where is he?" Clay asked the Bastard on watch.

"Kitchen," he said softly. The Sons walked into the kitchen to see T.O. staring at the bloody back of his V.P. Lander. Poor Bastard had a spread of gunshot wounds to his back and a knife through the base of his skull.

"Jesus Christ! Sorry, brother," Clay said softly. "What happened?"

"Found him like this. Bullets killed him. Knife was a message," T.O. said, almost without inflection.

"From who?" Tig asked.

"It's buried in his skull," T.O. spat.

Jax looked to Clay and said one word. "Calaveras."

"Yeah. Had to be Salazar."

"Anybody else see this?" Opie asked.

"No. Baby mama's got his kids."

"911?" Bobby asked.

"Didn't call, man. The things we're gonna do to the Mexicans, best no one puts motive on us," he said, his eyes becoming glassy.

"Retaliation's tricky, T," Clays said delicately. T.O. looked up and glowered at Clay. "The deal we made with the Mayans? It's barely a day old. Alvarez still has a connection to the Calaveras."

"And we have to vet all things Mexican before we do anything else," Bobby said.

"And if Alvarez says no? Huh?" The Grim president asked angrily as he stood. "What then? This is because we backed up Sam Crow," he spat, gesturing to his dead V.P.

"Come on, man. We got to bring Alvarez into the loop or he's gonna think we crossed him," Jax tried to reason.

"Race and rally in the barrio today. Mayans are sponsoring. I'm guessing those wetback skulls are gonna be there," Tig said.

"Give Alvarez a call. Tell him we're coming down," Clay ordered.

"Bastards are going," T.O. spat. Clay looked at him.

"Take two guys, T. All right? We're going for intel, not for battle." T.O. was breathing like a winded bull as he stomped out of the kitchen to pick his two guys.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Jasper was just making his way out of the apartment that he had been renting since his move down to Charming when his phone went off. Digging it out of his pocket, he froze when he got a look at the number. He may not have had it programmed into this phone, not talking to anyone in the Forks charter of The Coven but Carlisle and Rosalie, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't know the number off the top of his head. He took a breath to calm himself, not really wanting to answer, but knowing that he didn't truly have a choice. He would just keep calling.

Pushing the answer button, he put the phone up to his ear and waited.

"Jazz?" came the hesitant voice over the phone.

"Only family has the privilege to call me that. We are no longer family," Jasper drawled out.

"Jasper, I-"

"Why are you calling, Emmett? I was havin' a rather pleasant morning before I saw your number," he asked. His accent thickening slightly as he cut off the man he once thought of as a brother.

"Bella's getting married," he said softly.

"I know. I'm leavin' for Belfast this afternoon."

"You're invited?!" Emmett asked in surprise.

"McCarty, where do you think I am?" Jasper asked.

"I don't know. Figured you were spending time with Peter and Char," came the uncertain answer.

"I'm in Charming. I followed Carlisle and Rose on one of their trips down here, and saw they were meeting up with Bella. Took me forever to grow the balls to face her."

"And she-? She forgave you?" Jasper sighed. That was the question, wasn't it. He knew that he was slowly gaining her favor again, but they will never hold that same deep bond they had before he went and pissed all over her heart.

"No. No, she hasn't forgiven me. But she's givin' me the chance to prove myself, and that's more than I deserve."

"Carlisle and Rose are going. I heard him talking on the phone with Aro. I've been ordered to stay in Forks; Jasper, if I send something to you through Carlisle, would you give it to Bells?" Emmett asked sadly.

"Depends on what it is," Jasper answered sternly.

"It's nothing that'll harm her. Just something to show how sorry I am, and that I'm still thinking about her."

"I'm sure she would prefer if you didn't think on her, Emmett. Out of that whole fiasco, what you and I did- Jesus, Emmett! We nearly fuckin' broke her. The only reason I believe she held on was for Charlie, and after she left, her old man down here."

"Is he good to her?"

"Far better than Eddie-boy. Chibs worships the ground she walks on. The man was lost when she and their son were kidnapped."

"She has a-!" There was a choked sob on Emmett's end of the line. Jasper stopped as his brows raised in realization. It seems Emmett has finally seen how much his loyalty to Edward had cost him.

"Yes. A new baby boy named Callum. Not even a week old. Chibs and Charlie took the first flight out when we got the call from Liam in Belfast that she was there. Man was spittin' up a storm when he realized the bastards made him miss the birth of his boy."

"Jasper, please. Will you please give Bella my package? It's the only way I'm afraid she'll let me apologize. I literally had to fall to my knees in shit to get Rosie to even stop to talk to me. I'll do anything!" he cried.

Jasper let him hang for a moment as he thought. His main concern is that the emotional upheaval would set Bella back. Especially now that she has some emotional stability in Chibs and the SoA.

"I'll take it, and I'll ask her if she'll have it. I'll give it to her if she says it's okay, but I'm mailing it back to you if she won't accept it. Do you understand me, McCarty?" Jasper asked.

Jasper hung up to Emmett's many 'Thank you's' and sobs. Jasper just figured that given enough time, even the most simple of people could learn.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Alvarez and his men met up with the Sons and the Bastards that had rode to the rally to meet them.

"I heard what happened. We had no knowledge," Alvarez tells them.

"Had to be Salazar," T.O. said.

"Maybe."

"Maybe? Maybe?" T.O. spat angrily. Pissed that this dickwad was keeping him from avenging his brother. "Are you serious?" he demanded, taking a step forward. Clay halted his progress by stepping in front of him and removing his shades to look him in the eye.

"I don't care how bad you're hurting. You need to focus your rage," he advised.

T.O. backed down, knowing he was out numbered and, at the moment, too upset to think clearly.

"Sorry. I knew Lander since I was four," he said to Alvarez.

"I get it, man. I didn't patch these puppets over, but they still serve a purpose."

"Then don't make this about the Calaveras. Like you said, had to be Salazar," Jax said.

"He's gone rogue," Opie pointed out.

"Strip him of his patch, man. Put somebody else in charge," Clay said, offering a middle ground. Avarez stepped back to confer with his top men before he gave his answer.

"Take a piss."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

The three main men of the Calaveras, the president, vice president, and sergeant at arms, slowly walked into the park's men's restroom, their concern doubling seeing the number of Sons and the two Bastards waiting on them. Their exit barred by their Mayan allies.

"Somebody killed a member of the Grim Bastards this morning. Knife into his skull. Not too subtle," Alvarez said to the Calaveras calmly. He was calm even as he took out his pistol and held it to Salazar's head.

"Who did it," he asked.

"I don't know, man," Salazar said after taking a steadying breath.

"Bullshit," T.O. spat.

"These asshole's, they killed Pozo," Salazar said to Alvarez.

"Let me tell you how this works," he said, never lowering his gun. "I kill you, or you tell me which one of your lieutenants is responsible."

"What do you care if we offed some fat ni**er bitch, huh?"

"Hey, go to hell, man! Go to hell!" T.O. shouted as the Sons and his man held him back. Clay pulled his own gun and held it to the other side of Salazar's head.

"Now, if he don't care, I do," he said. "Now, a body's gonna hit the floor in the next minute. It's either going to be you or one of your brown buddies."

Salazar looked to Clay, for a moment pondering his choices before he addressed his Sergeant at Arms.

"Sorry, ese. He killed the fat man," he said, pointing to the now doomed lieutenant.

"Whoa, whoa," he said before pleading with his president in Spanish. "That's some bitch-ass shit!"

Alvarez looked to T.O. who nodded and shot the man right between the eyes as he continued to chew out Salazar. Salazar's V.P. panicked and held his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, hey, hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa! I wasn't there, all right? I swear to God!"

Alvarez and his V.P. rushed Salazar, pushing him against the wall and stripping him of his president's patch.

"Take off the kutte, ese," Alvarez ordered as they stepped back.

"What are you doing, man?"

It was Jax and Tig's turn to rush him as they prised the leather off of his back.

"Take it off."

"Take it off, bitch!" Tig spat.

Jax stepped back, showing him his patch on the back before balling the vest up and stomping it into the shitter.

"Hey! I'm gonna kill you for that," he promised. Clay didn't take to kindly to his family being threatened, and swung his iron fist right across Salazar's jaw.

Alvarez turned to the Calaveras' V.P. and held up the President's patch. "You've just been appointed president. Hopefully you'll do a better job keeping your guys in line."

He shoved the patch into his chest and the young man looked down at the now dead sgt. at arms and his dethroned former president, before addressing Alvarez.

"Yeah. I'll make sure of it."

"We good?" Alvarez asked Clay, who looked at T.O. T.O. nodded.

"Yeah," the mourning man said.

"A few of us are heading out of town for a week or so," Jax tells him. "Wedding party. You need anything, you call Sam Crow."

"This that pregnant little sprite that's gotten you guys to calm a little?" Alvarez asked. Jax nodded.

"You give her my good wishes, yeah? Tell her to take care of that little one."

"Will do, man," he promised, embracing the Mayan president in a friendly hug. The embrace between presidents was less friendly and more tense, but the lack of animosity was noted by both.

"Thank you," Clay said earnestly.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Gemma hesitated as she looked at Maureen's number. She knew she had to touch base with the woman. There was a lot of history between her, Mo, and J.T. None of it she particularly wanted to come to the surface, but with Jax going to Belfast, there really wasn't much of a choice.

She slowly dialed the number, and promptly hung up. Sighing in frustration before she dialed again.

"Hello, Ashby's?" came the greeting.

"Maureen?"

"Aye?"

"It's Gemma Teller. Can you talk?"

Maureen sighed. "Hold on," she said, transferring her to the back office, and closing the shop.

"I'm here," she said, answering the phone.

"You need to know. We'll be coming in tomorrow. Midmorning abouts. Clay told me you helped Izzy birth Callum," Gemma said.

"Aye. Healthy boy. Mother's doing fine as well. Liam and Siobhan took her to their's once she was able to be on her feet."

"Yeah, we heard. Listen. My boy, Jax? He knows nothing about John and Belfast."

"Nor does my Triny," Maureen said.

"Who's Triny?"

"Trinity, my daughter."

"What does she have to do with John?" Gemma asked. Maureen was stunned silent as she took in the ramifications of Gemma's lack of knowledge.

"Jesus Christ. You don't know, do you?"

Gemma froze as Maureen told her. Her brain and stomach both rebelling at the news she was hearing.

"My God," she said, dropping her phone and rushing to the nearest trash bin to empty her stomach. Maureen listened to her retching for a few moments before she couldn't take the guilt anymore and hung up. She dug an old lockbox out of the bottom drawer of her deck and went through it until she found an envelope.

Inside was a picture. A picture of her, John, and Trinity in Belfast. 1988.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

It was a rare quiet moment for Chibs. That was saying something considering the wedding planning and all of the people that were in and out of the house all day. Chibs had finally had enough and sent everyone out in a fit, saying that he was a father with a new baby who needed time to bond with both parents before even more of a mass of people showed up the next day.

They were already playing host to a goodly number of The Marauders, The Coven, at least the European contingent, and a handful of SAMBEL that Chibs trusted. Chibs herded Bella and Callum into the room Liam had given them and locked the door. Bella wouldn't admit it out loud in front of everyone else, but she was glad. She was starting to feel overwhelmed with all of the well wishes and offers to babysit. Not that she wouldn't appreciate said offers in the future, but for now, she just wanted to hold her baby and never let go. A feeling Chibs could identify with 100%.

Bella was, at the moment, asleep on her side, facing Callum, who was asleep on his back. Chibs was laying on the other side, his hand moving from his son's tummy, to Bella's face, where he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Three days," he said softly. Bella opened her eyes and looked at him questioningly through a hazy gaze.

"Hmm?"

"Three days, and you're mine."

"I'm already yours… possessive bastard," she smiled. Chibs chuckled.

"That you are."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Lyla met Jasper in the Clubhouse parking lot. He had an old Army bag on one shoulder, and a case that looked suspiciously like a gun case in his other. She raised an eyebrow at how he was going to get that out of this country and into another but shook it off. She had more important things to discuss with him.

"Hey, I'm going to have to stay here," she said sadly. Jasper dropped his bags.

"Why?" he asked. Lyla looked up at him.

"I have- I have something I have to tell you," she said haltingly.

"What's going on?" Lyla sighed and looked away for a moment.

"Well, you know how much I love you," she said. "How sad I'd be if anything happened to you."

"Baby, I'm going to a wedding in Ireland. Nothing is going to happen. Luann said she'd look after Piper, so you could come."

"It's not that. I- Jasper, I'm-" Jasper connected the dots.

"How far along?" Lyla looked up at him in surprise. He gave her a bemused smile.

"May not have any little ones of my own, but with the amount of pregnant women in this club, hard not to spot the signs when they're there," he said.

Lyla smiled. "Six weeks."

Jasper's smile turned megawatt. "Then here's the big question. Do you want to continue in porn?" he asked. Lyla hesitated, then nodded. "Do you want this baby?"

"More than anything!"

"Then I have a compromise. Continue until you start to show. Build up a small nest egg if you will. Then, when you start showing, you can take a break for a bit, and later, once the little one is born and things calm down, you can try the porn business again, or we can find you something to do behind the camera. Deal?" he asked.

Lyla beamed at him and threw her arms about his neck, kissing him for all he was worth.

"And, since you've decided to stay here, you've ruined one plan, so, time for plan b," he said, digging into his pocket and pulling out a modest diamond ring with a red ribbon tied to it. "Marry me?"

Lyla squealed and kissed him again before pulling back and looking at the beribboned ring on her finger.

"I love you, baby girl," he said with a grin.

"I love you, too!"

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy was meeting with SAMBEL president McGee and his V.P. O'Neill in a nearly abandoned parking lot.

"Any word on SAMCRO?" O'Neill asked.

"Aye. They'll be in tomorrow morning with McCreery providing an escort," he informs them.

"Good. We'll be ready for them. They won't be here long," Jimmy said ominously before he turned and walked away with O'Neill sniffing up his ass.


	8. Lochan Mor Pt 1

**_A/N 8/28/2019: Long wait...sorry. Thanks to those that stuck with me though. It's another short chapter, but I'm muddling through a small case of writer's block on top of real life getting in the way. Decided to post what I had though. Hope y'all enjoy! ~Angel_**

Things weren't sitting well with McGee. He may not approve of how Clay was running the Mother Charter, and of course, had a small grudge against John for having his girl back in the late 80's, which then extended to his Old Lady, but through and through he was loyal to SAMBEL. Jimmy had assured him that it was necessary for the Cause and in SAMBEL's best interest if, he played along. Took Clay and the rest of the Charming Boys out of the running. But it didn't sit right to set up a fellow founding member like that. One of only a handful of the Original Nine left.

So McGee was going to do what he did best. What all outlaws did best. Protect their own and to hell with everyone else. His problem then became O'Neill. The lad was riding the fence, just like Maureen was. One foot in the Cause's camp and the other with the Sons. Maureen will just have to understand if she gets her knickers in a twist.

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

"You and me are going to be having words when I see you, _brother_ ," Clay bit out, before snapping his phone shut. He had called McGee to tell them they had landed all right, and got a shock. His own patch brothers and one of the Nine conspired against his own. In any other circumstance, this would have led to a table vote to have him excommunicated, but this was McGee. A founder. And he had come clean on his own.

"We have a problem," he said to the room at large. Everyone stopped sorting their things and looked up to him. "McGee just gave me the heads up. There's a 'roadblock' set up for us at about the halfway point. O'Neill turned. He's workin' with Jimmy."

"What?!"

"You've got to be shitting me," everyone shouted.

"So, what do we do, boss?" Jax asked.

"Liam? Ideas? This is your turf," Clay asked the Irishman. He and a handful of his men had met them once they landed, providing an escort to the SAMBEL clubhouse.

"These boys will be off duty. They're free reign. Especially if they're on the take for the Cause. Any job they do, they'll want to keep away from official channels. But they won't know that Jimmy is Persona Non Grata with the Kings. They're too low on the food chain for that. Best bet is to ambush them. Rough them up and scare them enough, they'll leave you be," he said.

"This halfway point, anything we can use to a tactical advantage?" Jasper asked, getting into his element.

"This is Ireland, boy. Half of the country is wide open and the other half is covered in trees. Flip of the coin where we end up." Jasper nodded.

"We'll be ready."

~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~

A contingent of the Sons rode ahead. A mix of SAMCRO and SAMBEL, so no suspicions would be raised by their would be captors. But they were just the decoy. The majority of the club, both charters, took a longer rout and doubled back. Taking positions in the surrounding woods. They got lucky on that front. More cover and easier to hide.

The girls were following in a truck, trailing the 'bait' contingent. Just as warned, they were stopped.

"What the hell is that?" Gemma asked, nodding to the roadblock. "Look like English Kissagrams."

"Police Services, Northern Ireland," Luther provided. "Here we go."

Up at the head of the column, Jax looked to Liam. "What do we do here?" he asked.

"Random stop," Liam answered, getting off his bike. "Just keep it light. Smile and show them your passport."

"Identification," the PSNI Lieutenant said loudly so everyone could hear.

"Hey, we're just showing our American brothers the beautiful Irish countryside, Officer," Liam said amiably.

"Identification. You. You. You, you. You," he said, pointing to Clay, Jax, Bobby, Happy, and Opie in turn. Everyone climbed off their bikes and handed over their passports.

The PSNI made a show of calling in their names, but they didn't take near long enough, if they wanted it to be convincing, to get any information back on the Sons they were checking. The one with the cell hung up and the officers started to bring their guns up. It was then Jasper and his impromptu band of militiamen jumped out of their spots in the woods and corralled the officers, with the help of those on bikes.

"You loyalists," Liam said with a mocking tone and a shake of his head. "You just believe that because the open warfare is over, that the fighting is just done. Idiots. You drove the Cause underground, that's all you've done. And because of this, we've learned to fight with what we have in our own back yards. Land we know better than anything. Get their wallets, pull their ID's."

"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie," Clay said, pulling the ID of the Lieutenant he had a hold of. "We now know your name. And me and all my boys know where you live."

"I'd hate for anything to happen to your pretty little family because their da was on the take," Jax said, waving the ID he had in his hand in the face of the officer he was holding. A picture of a young woman and two little kids just behind it.

"We can ruin your career. And we can definitely ruin your life. And the Sons of Anarchy would be the least of your worries, Charles. You took money and orders from the wrong man. Jimmy O'Phelan is no longer protected by the Cause," Liam said. "Do we understand each other?"

Charles nodded quickly. "Aye."

They let the officers go, and watched as they tucked tail and ran as if their very lives depended on it. Which it did, but it was fun enough to watch them go without adding to the chaos.

"No offense, Liam, but those boys don't have the stomach for law enforcement in Ireland if they take off so easy," Jasper said, shaking his head.

"Like I said," Liam replied. "They'd want to keep any Cause related business off the books. Dragging in foreign outlaws is the opposite to that effect."

o0o o0o o0o

David woke in a haze of pain and a feeling that he was breathing water, not air. He looked around and saw that he was in a high tech hospital room, most likely in the ICU, and his brother and the doctor that had been hanging around with the Sons were with him.

"David?" Jacob asked. "David, can you hear me? Do you know who I am? Say something," Jacob asked urgently. The doctor put a hand on his arm.

"What did I say about overwhelming him?" the doctor asked his brother in a soft but stern voice. "Give him a moment to gather his bearings."

"What happened to me? Jake, is everyone all right? All I remember are gunshots and pain. Too much pain," David croaked urgently through a dry throat before he began coughing du to the lack of moisture.

Carlisle produced a small paper cup which contained fresh cool water. "Everyone is fine," he said gently, as he helped the ailing man drink his water.

"You were the most serious injured, and given how well you are responding, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you remember most everything but the car that hit you and the events following."

David nodded before the doctor continued. "One of the Calaveras shot up the prospect's wake. There were a few minor scrapes and bullet grazes. I commend you for trying to do your job and stopping the bad guy, but next time, may I suggest that if it looks as though a 4500 pound vehicle is going to run you over, might I suggest you jump out of the way before it gets the chance?"

David offered a weak but sincere smile at the attempt at humor to lighten the mood. "I'll be sure to do that next time, then."

"The man who ran you over, his name was Pozo Fuentes. He was due to face charges for his felony crime, when wouldn't you know it, he seems to have suffered from a sudden case of asphyxiation," Carlisle said offhand.

"Someone killed him?" the younger Hale asked in surprise.

"The official cause of death was a cardiac arrest brought on by an unhealthy diet," Carlisle said with a mischievous smile.

David decided to let the Sons have this one. 1. He was laid up in a hospital bed feeling like death's personal whoopsie-barbie. 2. One less scumbag in the world. They saved him the stress of having to open an investigation and hunt the bastard down. 3. Everyone needs a leg up from time to time to get justice. Who said anything about not allowing help to come from an unofficial outlaw group. Besides, David was now wondering if the world was as truly as black and white as he was used to seeing it.

"Tough break. Remind me to stay away from greasy foods in the near future," Hale s aid. Then he turned to his brother. "How's the campaign going?" he asked. He knew that his brother had an eye on the Mayoral seat. His only problem with that is he is still, somehow, attached to L.O.A.N. He never thought his brother would throw in with those thugs just because he didn't like SAMCRO.

"I've decided to put off running for mayor," Jacob said to David's shock. Jacob chuckled. "Well, someone is going to have to make sure that you get back on your feet. Also, it's always been more of a symbol than an actual position. The spot is tainted. No one would take me seriously if I became mayor. Just think I got too big for my britches if I started enforcing the office. Let someone else handle that headache."

It was at this point David was wondering what kind of twilight zone world he had woken up in.

o0o o0o o0o

The rumble of motorcycles heralded their arrival. A lot of motorcycles. Izzy was sure that SAMBEL hadn't seen such a gathering for many years. Possible since the last time Jax's own father was in Ireland. In any case, she was excited to see Angela and Donna again. The three of them had grown really close during her pregnancy, and had truly missed them since she had been taken. Everyone in SAMBEL started cheering as the first bike made it onto the lot, and she couldn't help but laugh at the cacophony. The sound getting lost in the noise.

Callum squirmed and fussed at the sound, so Izzy held one of his ears gently to her chest, while the other she pressed to his other to muffle the sound. Angela and Donna were out of the van like a shot and made their way straight to her.

"Izzy!" Donna said as she weaved her way through the crowd that was greeting each other. She was now sporting a 5 month baby bump, and unless she was mistaken, Angela, too, had a small bump nestled at her hips.

"Donna! Angie!" she said with a beaming smile as they finally got to her. She held out Callum so they could see him properly. "Girls, meet your godson."

Angela gasped in awe as Donna just smiled at the beautiful child.

"Poor little guy looks just like Chibs," Donna joked.

"Well, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing," the man himself said as he finished his greetings. He still hadn't moved more than four feet from her side since he got to Ireland, and though it was sometimes annoying, Izzy neither minded, nor was unhappy with the arrangement. Just gave her more time with her old man. "After all, I managed to get this beautiful woman to say yes. He shouldn't have a problem," he grinned cheekily.

"Can't argue with that," Angela said to him as she looked up at Izzy. "He's gorgeous, Isa. And so are you. Seriously, these pregnancy hormones are amazing!"

"Speaking of-" Izzy said, raising an eyebrow at her childhood friend. "Something to tell me, Ange?"

"Yeah, got my own on the way. And just before we left, Layla told Jasper she's having one too," Angela told her. Izzy smiled and gave Angela a hug.

"Congratulations," she whispered into her friend's ear.

"Izzy?" came Jasper's voice behind her. She turned to see the Texan uncharacteristically nervous about something. "Can I talk to you for a second? Chibs can come along, but this- well, I figured it was best to get it out of the way instead of letting it stew."

Izzy looked at Chibs who nodded. "I trust him. Once I had you in my sights again, I understood the decision he made about saving Abel. I'm not mad at the lad."

She turned to Angela. "Would you look after Callum? Give you some practice," she said teasingly.

"Ha, ha. Hand him over. You do remember I have two baby brothers I looked after," Angela said, taking baby Callum gently.

Izzy and Chibs only walked a short distance away from the two women, but to a spot secluded enough by the clubhouse to offer them some seEmmblance of privacy.

"Emmett called me just before we left Charming," Jasper told her without preamble. He never was one to sugar coat things. "He wanted me to tell you he was sorry, and to give you something to show that he was serious. I told him I would give you the option of taking it, but if you didn't want it, that he would have to live with the fact that you've moved on with life, and he just isn't in it."

Izzy froze with the first sentence, and Chibs looked at her in concern. When it looked like she wouldn't be forthcoming with any answers he looked to Jasper. The soldier and former Coven member sighed.

"There were three people involved with what happed to Bella before she left. Emmett and I were the ones to restrain her, while Ed-" he trailed off at the look in the Scot's eyes, and sighed again. "Our former VP, as you know, was Bled for his actions. I lost my spot as Sargent at Arms, and any chance of a voice in any vote. Emmett, lost his seat as well, and is no longer able to advance farther in the club. And Carlisle's Presidency is under a strict microscope."

Izzy still hadn't moved, though she closed her eyes as if she were thinking on her next words carefully. "He's not asking for forgiveness. Just the chance to say his piece."

"What did he want you to give me?" she asked in a voice of forced calm. But Chibs could hear the shaking sadness beneath it.

Jasper brought his hands from behind his back and presented her with a teddy bear with a leather biker's jacket, and a full rocker from the Coven's MC. It was then her composure cracked and a tear made itself known, trailing a wet trail down her cheek.

She remembered the day he had gotten that for her. He wanted to wow her with his skills at rigged fair games, and bet her that he could win any rigged game. She lost. He chose, of all things, trying to get a toy fish on a toy rod. A game made for kids around 4 or 5. She laughed at the ridiculousness of it. He won a gold fish. Then she chose the ring toss. Again he won, gaining the bear. She wanted the bear, but he said that it was cooler than a gold fish. That he might end up killing the poor thing anyway, so she could keep it. Izzy reached out a shaking hand to take the items. Her brow furrowed as she took the rocker.

"He's retired. Gained the official okay from the three heads to become an inactive member," he explained.

"But the MC was everything to Emmett. Other than Rose," she said quietly, hugging the bear to him.

"It isn't the same anymore, Izzy. Not since you. What we did, just us three, destroyed the charter. It's looking more and more likely that it will dissolve and the other members absorbed into other charters around the world. If I ever decide to leave, which I don't with Layla around, and my penance to you still ongoing, I would try to see if Peter and Charlotte had forgiven me enough to take me back as their president."

She took a moment to gather her thoughts. Emmett was the hardest. Jasper, though she had considered him a brother, was still a bit stand offish. Edward, she had loved with her whole heart at one point. A love that turned into hate over time. But Emmett had been her big brother. The brother she had always wanted but never had before. She swallowed past the lump in her throat before answering.

"I gave Carlisle a chance. And after a talking to, you. It would be hypocritical of me not to give him one."

Chibs shook his head. "Not hypocritical, lass. Take some time. You've just birthed Callum and are currently going through the stress of planning a wedding and getting over being kidnapped. You don't have to give him an answer right at this moment."

Jasper nodded. "I agree. Don't give me an answer until you are ready."

She looked hard at Jasper before nodding. "I'll think about it. Thank you, Jasper," she said softly. He nodded.

"I'll leave y'all to it then," he said as he left. "And congratulations on Callum."

Chibs took Izzy into his arms. "You'll be all right, mo ghràdh. Two days. Just two days, and we'll be through this wedding business, and on our own for two weeks. Just us and wee Callum. Being a family as we should."

Izzy, who had felt numb since Emmett's name first passed Jasper's lips, smiled at the little scene he had described. "Sounds like heaven," she murmured into his Kutte.

"Aye. Heaven on earth."

She pulled back far enough to take his moth in a loving kiss before they both turned and rejoined the others just as Callum was beginning to fuss.

"Someone's hungry," she said, handing the teddy and the rocker to Chibs so she could take their son. Angela was shocked to see them, but said nothing. She would get the facts from Bella later. Just as she picked him up, she raised her head to see Gemma, Clay, Jax, Maureen, and Trinity greet each other. It was then she notice something. Trinity and Jax had the exact same eyes. She hesitated at the revelation.

"Well, shit," she said.

"What is it, lass?" Chibs asked. He followed her line of sight to the group.

Izzy shook her head. "Nothing. At least, it's nothing until I talk with Gem and Jax. Otherwise, it's an unwelcome and unwanted suspicion."

Chibs nodded. "All right. Why don't we get you girls inside, so you can feed the boy. If he's anything like his da, he's got a one track mind."

All three women laughed at his joke, and he was glad to see a genuine smile back on his old lady's face. It had never left in the first place.


	9. Lochan Mor Pt2

**_A/N: I'm not gonna lie, y'all, it's getting much harder to write for this story. Want to know a secret? I never actually know where a story is going when I write it. I just start, and let it go where it wills. So I'm still very much figuring out where this story will end. I'm most definitely going to have to go back and rewatch SOA SSN 3 to find out where that went even. But I figured y'all would enjoy the update regardless. At least I'm hoping so. My boyfriend pointed out I don't talk about my stories much anymore, so I decided to write. Much love. ~Angel_**

"There's nothing we could do. Pissers folded like girls. Didn't give anything up. Charming don't trust me, Jimmy," Liam said into the phone. "I can smell it on 'em. And McGee? Shite, I don't know if he's got the heart for this."

"I don't need heart! I need gut and brains!" Jimmy snapped at Liam.

"Rumor has it your on the outs with the kings, Jimmy," Liam said to him before Jimmy could hang up. "That you managed to piss off a major contributor to the cause. There's even talk about a price on your head."

"Don't you worry about the kings," Jimmy said with a grimace that was supposed to be a congenial smile. Only his teeth were clenched too tightly together to actually pull it off. Not that it mattered to Liam anyway. "We're happy as a pair of newlyweds."

Jimmy hung up before the Son pissed him off any more. Not that it worked as he flipped the table at the little diner he had holed up in for supper and left, before the law could be called.

o0o o0o o0o

For the first time since 1988, SAMCRO and SAMBEL were all sitting around the table in the SAMBEL clubhouse discussing what could be done about their problem with Jimmy. This of course wasn't just limited to the two charters of the same MC. There were the three kings of The Coven MC, who had gotten in not long after SAMCRO, the acting president and VP of The Marauders, and Liam, who was the voice of the Cause in the clubhouse. It was a tribunal never before seen in the MC world.

The only ones not in the know about what was going on within the club, were the majority of SAMBEL's charter, with the exception of McGee, who was currently sitting quietly, knowing it was the only way to have any chance of walking out of Church alive.

"As you all know, SAMBEL and SAMCRO are two of the Cause's biggest runners for their guns in both Ireland and the U.S. west coast," Liam said calmly. "In fact, there is a shipment going out tomorrow. But it turns out, we have a rat in our midst." As he said this, Jasper and Jax took position behind O'Neill, while Bobby put a restraining hand on McGee's shoulder.

"It's due to young Liam here and your president, Keith McGee, that the local law tried to have us deported under the orders of Jimmy O'Phalen," Liam told those around the table. Chib's nephew went to dispute the claims, but Chibs himself stopped him, whispering into his ear.

"We wouldn't have brought it to the table unless we were absolutely sure, lad," he told him sternly.

"Aye," McGee aknowledged. "I wasn't aware that Jimmy was on the outs with the kings when he asked me to do what we did. I also wasn't sure about going against brothers, but didn't want to bring such wrath down onto the club if it was from up top."

"It's that reason alone that you are still in that seat, McGee. And the fact that you eventually wised up and gave us a warning," Clay said. "But you're calls will be second guessed from now on."

McGee shook his head. "That's no way to have a charter run. It only asks for mutiny. I'm calling for a vote to have me removed. I want to retire." The members of SAMBEL and some of SAMCRO began loudly protesting his decision. McGee simply raised his hand.

"I'll still be a part of the club, sit at the table. I'll even offer advise if it is asked for. But times are changing. My experiences are muddying the waters of possible advancement. This isn't 1974 anymore. We no longer have to fight for territory, we have well established ties with the local community and business ties to the Cause. You don't need war jaded soldiers anymore, you need people with an idea of where they want the club to go. So I want to step down."

"Brother, are you sure?" Clay asked.

McGee nodded. "Aye. The politics are doing my head in, Clay. Let someone else deal with the paperwork."

Clay stared hard at the only other president of the original 9. Weighing his words. "All in favor?" he asked.

There was a unanimous chorus of 'yea's' and 'aye's' from around the table. Clay stood and rounded to his comrade. McGee stood and ripped the president's patch from his Kutte before handing it to Clay. Clay stared at the patch in his hand, before looking up, embraced his brother, then took his seat to continue the discussion.

"We will discuss succession once things calm down, though I have no doubt Seamus will have no trouble stepping up," Clay said with a nod in the young man's direction. Seamus sat up a bit straighter at the attention, but had a determined glint in his eye.

"I'll leave it to more experienced hands for the moment, since we are hosting so many others," Seamus said. Clay again, nodded.

"O'Neill," Clay said, turning to the man now being forcefully restrained, with Jasper's and Jax holding him down into his seat.

"Where's Jimmy?" O'Neill remained quiet. "Look, kid. We can either do this the easy wa-" he never got to finish as Chibs rounded the table and punched the Irishman square in the jaw.

"Or we can let Chibs at him," Clay mumbled.

Chibs grabbed a handful of O'Neill's hair before he could gain his bearings again and brought him up to look him dead in the eye. Once he saw he had the man's focus, he growled. "I trained under the Casey's in my youth. I know how to torture information out of someone like the best of them. But you want to know something?" O'Neill had a small sliver of fear enter his eye as the Scotsman spoke. "I've seen my old lady at work. She tortured three people for failing to kill me. And she scared the right piss out of me."

Jasper snorted. "Bubba, she scared the piss outta all of us. You know I'm now afraid to go anywhere near a hardware store. Never mind I can't stand anything spicy or citrus anymore. It was Emmett who taught her how to through a proper punch," he said.

"What could that little gash do?" O'Neill said with more bravado than he felt. Chibs punched him so hard, his hair ripped from the root, as Chibs never let go, and he went crashing to the ground.

"I would be careful how you speak about my woman, traitor. Most everyone in here has and/or will kill for the lass. You would be nothing but an inconvenient footnote in her long list of dead," Chibs said dangerously.

"Where's Jimmy?" Clay asked again.

"He's too protected there, but the only place I can thing that he'd be, is at his pub," McGee said as he ran his hand down along his beard.

"Even with the notice that he's to be hunted?" Jax asked.

"Aye," Seamus said. "We'd need someone he trusted to lure him out. There's only one person he even halfway trusts anymore. The priest."

"Any chance we can press him to put in a call?" Clay asks.

Liam nodded. "I'll see it done. What's to be done with him once we have him?"

"Kill him, and I get the privilege," Chibs said lowly, daring anyone to contradict him.

"No one will dispute that brother, but-" Clay trailed off, thinking.

"But what?!" Chibs shouted. "The man took my woman, threatened her life and that of both of my children. I will not have the man alive to try again!"

"I'm only thinking, brother, that we might be able to use him if we can get him back to the States," Clay said.

"To what end?" Marcus asked, finally voicing his thoughts to the quorum.

"We've been having a small issue with some Feds. An ATF bitch sniffing around and trying to catch smoke to find something to put us down for good. What if we gave her what she wanted?" Clay asked.

"Stahl," Opie and Chibs said staccato.

They looked at each other as they came to an agreement. Chibs got Jimmy, Opie would handle the Fed.

"Stahl. We have Jax call her up-"

"And why me?" Jax interrupted.

"The disillusioned MC prince seeing the dangerous path his old senile stepfather is leading the club down. Perfect cover," he explained calmly. "Jax calls her up. Tells her we have Jimmy O and that we are willing to give him up in exchange for immunity for past crimes. It'll grate against her grain something fierce, but she's too desperate."

"We offer to do an exchange, trap them both," Clay explained simply.

"The Coven will send some of ours to ensure that all of you and Jimmy get there. Just as a precaution to see it done," Caius said. "Never leave anything to chance."

"Well now, I don't know about you, Remus, but I feel like we're just here for comic relief," Sirius pipped in.

"You are, Padfoot," Remus said under his breath.

o0o o0o o0o

"Are you really all right?" Angela asked once everyone was inside and the men had gone to discuss business.

Izzy nodded. "Now that everyone is here and my family is safe, I'm happy even," she said.

"Chibs was spitting mad when he got the call you were in labor. I'm sure he's staking his claim to kill off Jimmy O before any of the others can," Donna said.

"I got my own kill in," Izzy said with a shrug. "I won't deny him his. There was a sick sort of satisfaction to killing his ex before I started freaking out that I killed someone." Izzy acted like the act of killing Fiona didn't bother her, but Angela could hear the slight waver of regret in her voice and voiced her opinion.

"Don't feel guilty for killing that cunt, Izzy," she snapped. "She helped take both you and Callum. She got the prospect killed and even Hale was hospitalized because of what she helped do."

"How is he?" Izzy asked.

"Woke up this morning. Carlisle called en rout and gave us the news. He seems to have all of his mental faculties, though he doesn't remember the accident. He says the look on his face when his brother told him that he was giving up on his campaign to run for mayor may not have convinced the patient himself that he was ok," Angela told her.

Callum began to fuss and Izzy dug out a blanket from the baby bag at her feet before settling it over her and situated the infant at her breast so he could feed.

"Chibs was right. Boy does have a one track mind," Angela chuckled.

"Never changes, either," Gemma said as she made her way to the three younger women. "How are you doing, mama?" she asked as she leaned down to embrace the new mother, careful not to disturb the feeding little one.

"Happy now that everyone is here. I'll feel better in a couple of days time when everything is said and done, though. Get some time to my man and son for a while."

Gemma nodded. "Have y'all had any bonding time since he showed," she asked, waving her hand in the direction of the church door and Chibs.

"A bit," Izzy smiled, before biting her lip. "Gemma, I don't want to step on any toes, but Jax and Trinity-" she trailed off. Gemma sighed.

"If anyone would put it together, it would be you." Gemma shook her head. "Product of an affair. Though I can't say I was all that faithful to JT during the late 80's either."

"Do either of them know?" Izzy asked.

"No," Gemma said quickly, looking away. "No, neither has any idea." Donna and Angela followed the conversation, but stayed out of it. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the main plot though, and neither woman was simple.

"It might be prudent to tell them. Everyone here knows Jax is faithful to Ange, but we know nothing about Trinity. If she gets it into her head Jax is a catch-" she gestured with one hand, and let Gemma figure the rest out on her own. Gemma nodded but said nothing. Izzy didn't persue the topic, letting it drop, knowing she had said her piece.

It was just as well, as the doors opened and the various MC heads were filing out. Izzy was very interested to see that Sirius and Remus were frog marching a semi bound Liam O'Neill out the door. She looked over to Chibs, who had taken his customary seat at her side with a bottle of beer.

"I take it things got a bit… complicated," she said with a slight tilt of her head. Chibs nodded.

"Aye. Seamus is now the president of SAMBEL, and O'Neill is about to learn what happens to those who go against family." That was all he said on the matter and no one needed him to elaborate.

o0o o0o o0o

The party was loud and in full swing. Jax was boxing with the new president, testing his metal. Clay and Gemma were watching the match at a picnic table. The various MC's were gathered to celebrate Callum, Izzy, and Chib's reunion and the latter two's coming nuptials. Even if Izzy was currently sitting with Callum and Chibs was talking with Charlie about the coming wedding around a burning barrel. Gemma, getting tired of the noise, leaned over the table to whisper in Clay's ear.

"Hey, you want to take me to your luxury suite?" she asked seductively.

"You want to watch your boy defend the club's honor?" Clay asked over his shoulder.

"Nah. I'd rather watch my man's big dick."

"What about your ticker?" he asked, turning more towards her. Gemma shrugged.

"Fully medicated."

Clay nodded, then stood, groaning as he did. He turned, and kissed her. "There's one thing that needs to be done first. To make sure the air is clear and the slate is clean. May need a patch up afterwards, though." With that, he made his way towards Charlie and Chibs.

"Brother," he said to Charlie. "I'd like to get this done now, if you don't mind. Best if we get this all done before the wedding, don't you think?"

Charlie sighed. "Yeah. Meet you in the ring. Just let me tape up."

Clay nodded and left. "You're the last you know. I did my dance with him before we left. Word to the wise, watch his left."

Charlie nodded and went to get ready. There were many things set in motion tonight, and many of them would meet their end within hours. He only hoped that everything after would run smoothly.


	10. Turas

**_A/N 3/4/2020: Shorter chapter, but seeing as how I wrote myself into a corner, I think I did ok. Most of this episode was obsolete since I didn't do write the Lumpy scene and made the Jacob Hale's story line moot. Anyway, I'm just trying to wrap everything up, and stick to the style of the story and not make Bella too goody goody at the end. Also, not a lot of Bella, Donna, or Angela this chapter. I'll put them in more in the next one though. Promise. Thank you for being so patient with me though. And sticking with it. Y'all are the best. ~Angel_**

The fight was brief for a work over. Though Clay put up a fight, it was only a token. One to show that, yes, he was sorry, but he also knew this was needed to clear the air. Didn't stop Charlie from sporting a busted lip and a black eye, but as the saying goes, 'you should see the other guy.' Clay left the fighting ring with a busted nose, a couple of chipped teeth, a busted rib or two and the most painful, hurting kidneys. He'll be pissing blood for the next week.

At the end of the fight, he and Charlie shook hands. Knowing that all around, everyone got the closure they needed, and it was gained the only way those in the club knew how. With their fists. Clay also couldn't deny that he loved that he got Gemma to play the naughty nurse as she patched him up.

The next morning, they had a small impromptu church. Just SAMCRO and a few friends in the main gathering space of SAMBEL.

"We need to find a way to get Jimmy to us," Jax said. "We need to get this done quickly. Hopefully wrap it up nice and quick with Chib's and Izzy's wedding tomorrow."

"Even money on the bastard showin' himself before we even get the chance to follow through with a plan," Chibs put in.

"Nevertheless, it's good to have a plan in place to at least go off of in case he doesn't. Any ideas?" Clay said.

"The priest," Bobby said after a small silence. "He's in with the Cause, right? But also has that confidence thing most of the clergy stand by. Unless it harms someone someway, he won't say a word outside of the confessional, right? What if we get Liam to lean on him. Get him to make a call?"

"Could work. But we would need to be sure that Jimmy wouldn't smell a trap. We'd need to make the bait really sweet to make it believable," Chibs said.

"And not let Kellan in on it either," Jasper said. "I don't know about y'all, but the man screams secrets. He sets off every instinct I have not to trust him."

"It'd be a true idiot that went against you, Major," said Tig with a respectful smile. Jasper nodded in his direction.

"What if we told Kellan that the Cause still wanted Jimmy because of his reputation and contacts. Plausible, given how long he's been in the fray. That because of this, the kings were willing to set him up in a safe house until things blew over, given that he drops his current path of pursuing Izzy and Callum," Opie put in.

"We'd have to get the okay from the kings. Even name dropping them is a big deal," said Chibs, pulling out his phone and texting Liam, who had stayed behind with Siobhan and Izzy.

"It's as good a plan as any. At least we have something to work from should things take a turn," Clay said.

Chib's phone beeped and he read the text. "Liam said he'd have an answer for us in 10. But it looks promising. The kings want Jimmy out of the picture now more than ever."

"And SAMBEL? Are they going to cover us when we ambush Jimmy?" Juice asked.

"No. They're just getting used to the idea McGee isn't president anymore. We don't need to add to their plates," Jax said.

"Belfast has a run this afternoon. Gun shipment. I got conflicting stories. McGee and Ryan tell me Jimmy will not be there. O'Niell, under my watchful eye and Jane's loving mercies, he will be at the pick up in Dungloe. Never misses one," Bobby said.

Chibs shook his head. "Trap. He's set to blow it, IRA style. It's all the bastard knows," he said. "My advise, none of SAMCRO rides with. If they do, at all cost do they stay away from any buildings or vehicles. Less chance of being blown sky high."

Clay thought it over. "Tig? You, Happy, Jasper, and Chibs. The rest stay here. Keep an eye on the fort."

The four men nodded, accepting the orders. Jasper then cleared his throat. "I have a request if you'd hear me out," he said softly, but with conviction.

"Go ahead, son," Clay said.

"I've spoken with the Volturi, and have been granted the ability to patch into the SOA, provided I gain permission from SAMCRO and Izzy."

Clay looked at the former sniper hard. "Reasons?" he asked.

"Are twofold," Jasper replied. "I vowed to keep an eye on Izzy until my slate with her is wiped clean. That is easier done if I'm more around. Change my loyalties to revolve around her life. The second is more personal. Layla. She's pregnant and I want to be able to take care of her and the family we are building."

Clay shook his head. "Another kid," he said bemusedly. "We'd have to put it to vote. Get an official written okay from the Volturi, letting us know that they are passing us the reigns. An official written okay from Izzy too. Also, you'll have to prospect again. Since you're already a member, albeit, an inactive one, of another MC, you know most of the ropes. This'll just be so you get to know how we do things. Four to six months tops, and we'll have another vote to patch you in," Clay said, running down the process.

"This fly with you?"

Jasper nodded. "More than reasonable."

o0o o0o o0o

"Jax," Gemma called to him as the others left. "A word."

Jax made his way to his mother. "We need to talk."

"Okay. About what?" he asked curiously.

"About family. Turns out, there are more Tellers than we believed."

Jax just looked at her uncomprehendingly for a moment as she went on to clarify. "Trinity Ashby."

"The girl that's been making doe eyes at me since we got here?" Jax asked startled.

Gemma nodded. "Your father, it seems, found his second chance here in Belfast with her mother Maureen. She was born in '88 while J.T. was here on club business.

Jax, again, gazed at her in shock. "You and dad really were heading different ways towards the end, weren't you?" he asked.

Gemma nodded. "By that time, we had drifted so far apart due to your brother's illness, and shifting blame. I found comfort with Clay. He found it here with Maureen."

Jax saw the sadness on her face. Sadness of a lost love, and the fact that, though she too wasn't faithful, she couldn't hold on to the man she had committed herself to. He stepped forward and took her into a firm hug.

"I have no doubt that, though his focus shifted, he still loved you, ma. You gave him Thomas and me. Trust me. I speak from experience. I care for Wendy for giving me Abel. And I would be willing to help her to a certain extent. But my love. My heart. That belongs to Angela," he said.

"When did you get so smart?"

Jax snorted. "Survival instinct. I'm surrounded by you, Angela, and Izzy. I'm strapped for testosterone in my immediate circle until Abel gets a little older."

Gemma laughed outright and hugged Jax tighter.

o0o o0o o0o

"The kings are willing to work with you, Jimmy," Kellan said through the phone. "And I think their terms are more than reasonable. Stop all of your pursuit of Filip and his family, and they are willing to see that you are comfortable and safe until everything blows over. This is coming from Liam himself, lad."

"And how do we know he's not pulling my chain and tying a rope to hang me with at the same time, Kellan?" Jimmy asked.

"Come on, Jimmy. You think Liam wants that kind of heat on him. You know what would happen to him if this information was fabricated. Just mentioning the Kings to get a rise, will see him even more hunted than anyone on this earth bar you with the Volturi. The Kings can't lose any more good soldiers, nor can they afford to just lose all of your contacts. I assure you. This offer is genuine," Kellan said convincingly.

Jimmy took a moment to think everything over. "All right. I'll come in. We'll meet there at St. Matt's."

"That's good to hear, Jimmy. I'm glad you're willing to move on. The last thing we need is more bloodshed, son."

"Aye. I'll be seeing you tomorrow then. Just past noon."

"Tomorrow." Jimmy hung up and looked to his passenger.

"Arrange things at the barn," he said monotonously.

"Are you sure about this, brother?" Donny asked. "You just agreed to their truce. This may set off a chain of events that ends in you hanging yourself."

Jimmy gave him a look of impatience. "Aye," Donny said with a sigh. "It'll get done."

o0o o0o o0o

The parking lot of the SAMBEL lot was a hive of activity once again as the club plus the four from SAMCROW, got ready to leave Chibs was laughing with his nephew, Padraic, and giving Izzy a deep, love filled kiss in farewell. McGee was kissing Maureen as Jax did his best to ignore the uncomfortable attention from who he now knew was his half sister as he was talking to Jasper and Tig. All the while, the remainder of the club was setting up for their run across the country side for the Cause.

In all of this activity, Kerrianne and Izzy were getting to know each other above Maureen's shop with Callum. Sirius and Remus were busying themselves in the kitchen with Gemma.

"You mean right by her?" Gemma asked Sirius. The Marauder looked at the Queen of Charming.

"Kerrianne?" he asked. Gemma nodded. "I have no ill advances planned, if that's what you're asking. I originally got to know her because I thought she had balls of steel."

Gemma smiled. "That's her father in her."

Sirius smiled. "Yup. From the way she talks her mother wasn't anyone to aspire to. Now. Now, I'm getting to know her because I see with those balls of steel comes a genuinely sweet girl."

"You do anything to hurt her, and you'll have the whole of the Son's of Anarchy hunting you. We protect our own," Gemma threatened.

Sirius snorted. "No need to tell me twice." They heard the door fly open as Casey, a surrogate son to Kellan Ashby, was led into the kitchen and small dining room at gunpoint.

"This is bad, Donny," he said. Donny pushed him into a chair.

"Shit!" Gemma exclaimed.

"Sit down, Casey," Donny ordered. Jimmy then walked in.

"Find the boy and his bitch of a mother," Jimmy ordered.

Donny left down the hall to Trinity's room, where Izzy and Kerrianne were.

"You're dead," Gemma said calmly.

"Not as dead as a few select people in this shithole," he said before he put a bullet into Casey's head.

"Shit!" Gemma repeated.

Izzy was ushered into the kitchen by Donny. "Where's the boy?" Jimmy demanded.

Bella looked at him defiantly and with a smirk. "Remind me never to bet against my man again," she said to him.

Jimmy pointed his gun at Izzy. "THE BOY!" he shouted at her. The next thing he knew, he felt the barrel of a gun behind his own head. He had had his back to the door, and the connecting hall, which was a big mistake. In the time they heard Gemma exclaim her first 'Shit,' Bella had place Callum in the closet, sound asleep, and dreaming his baby dreams. Kerrianne had taken the .9 mm her father had given her and slipped her way to the bathroom across the hall. Standing behind the open door to fool Donny into thinking the room was empty. She then tiptoed her way down through the living room and the connecting hall, right behind Jimmy.

"Drop it," Kerrianne growled impressively.

"Balls of steel," Sirius murmured in awe.

"You don't have the nerve, lovey," Jimmy taunted. Kerrianne took one look at Casey, dead on the table, paled, and refocused on Jimmy. He had turned around to face her. Give me the gun, Annie."

Her body relaxed and she lowered the gun. Jimmy had thought he had won this one, but Sirius, who hadn't taken his eyes off her, notice her eyes harden. The gun had lowered, but not completely, fired, and it took out his knee. Jimmy dropped screaming, and Sirius, using the distraction, used a knife from the table and drove it into the base of Donny's skull.

Gemma had grabbed Donny's fallen gun and was now pointing it at Jimmy. Izzy noticed the look in her eye.

"Gemma. You gotta lower the gun," she tells the older woman.

"I ought to kill this son of a bitch," she said lowly. Izzy shook her head.

"You can't. We need him."

"He threated my family."

"Aye. He did. And he damn near killed me and Callum. But we need him to end things back home. It's the only way to lure Stahl into the open. You know this."

Gemma slowly lowered the gun, and Remus went to Jimmy. Patting him down before tying a tourniquet above his knee. The man's screams got to the point, he slugged him hard enough to knock him out, just to get some quiet.

"Well, seems we need something to restrain him," Izzy said thoughtfully.

Sirius beamed. "I have just the thing!"

o0o o0o o0o

SAMBEL and the four from SAMCRO greeted those of Jimmy's circle at a farm.

"Jimmy's guys?" Jasper asked.

"No. Real army men keeping tabs," McGee said. "These are Jimmy's boys." He pointed to a car with four literal boys, just out of childhood looking into the trunk of a car.

"Boys is right. How old are they?" Jasper asked, appalled.

"15, maybe," Padraic tells him.

"That's who Jimmy's recruiting?" Tig asked.

"Aye. I was there," Padraic affirmed.

"Where's the guns?" McGee asked.

"Inside," the overseeing SAMBEL member answered. The three of the four from SAMCRO heeded Chib's advise. They stayed outside. Chibs, however, braved the threat of exploding and went with his nephew into the barn. They looked over the merch, and saw how it was transported.

"Just another farmer bringing the food back to the horses," said the club member of the wooden crates disguised as bales of hay. "Never been stopped yet."

"Let's hope we can keep that streak going," Chibs said.

"Once we're loaded, Army will drive the lorry. We'll ride ahead and scout," Ryan explained.

"We'll pick up the rear. Makes sure we stay clear," Chibs says.

"Aye."

"Where to?" Chibs asked.

"It's another barn in Hannahstown, just outside of Belfast, uncle. Then the Army takes it over from there," Padraic explained.

"Come one, then. Let's get some muscle," the SAMBEL member said, as they started moving boxes.

Once they were loaded and ready to move out McGee's phone range. He excused himself and went off to the side. Chibs called the other three of SAMCRO over and they started talking about the route and the plan of the run.

"Just give me a moment," McGee said to the Army member before turning and walking towards Chibs, hanging up the phone. "That was Mo. Jimmy's in Belfast. He was after your Izzy and Callum."

"Why. What happened?" Chibs asked urgently.

"It's alright. They're all okay," McGee assured. "Except Jimmy, who won't be walking anytime soon thanks to your daughter."

The two remaining members of SAMCRO that were just inside the door were suddenly shoved forward as the door was slammed shut and locked from the outside. Every man within screaming bloody murder to be let out.

It was then they heard the engine of the lorry turn over.

"NO! Don't you start that!" Chibs yelled at the driver. But it was too late. Once everyone understood that the truck wouldn't blow, Padraic, who was in the back, started pounding on the roof and yelling for the driver to go. All of the SOA were yelling at him to ram the doors.

So he did. The SOA then scattered and ran for their lives. The truck, made it, maybe, 20 feet from the barn before it was blown sky high. Club members and army men still too close flying from the concussive force.

Everyone was knocked for a loop and in shock. They were taking stock of everything. Tig was checking on a SAMBEL member face down in a small crater. Presumably where he had fallen. There were limbs strewn about. But it was Chib's voice that caught the ears of SAMCRO.

He had walked sluggishly up to the prone body of his nephew and fallen to his knees.

"Paddy!" he groaned, reaching for him. "No, Paddy. No, Paddy! No. Paddy, Paddy boy." He began to weep over the burned and broken body that was his nephew. "Paddy boy. Paddy! Paddy boy."

He cradled the boy as he did when he was a toddler after having a nightmare. Running his fingers through his hair, to calm him back to sleep.

"This was Jimmy," Tig said with venom.

"Good thing we have him then," McGee said.

"And he's mine to deal with," Chibs said in a quiet deadly calm.

"We need to go. That explosion was seen for miles," Jasper said to Chibs, his hand grasping his shoulder firmly. "We'll take him with us. See that he's given a proper send off."

Happy joined Jasper in lifting Padraic into a nearby truck. It took a little hotwiring, but it ran.

o0o o0o o0o

Gemma was currently at St. Matt's. She wasn't one to pray, but by God did she have something to get off her chest. She had a lot to be thankful for, this was true. But half of those things wouldn't be necessary if God had just decided to off Jimmy in an tragic accident a year ago. Izzy wouldn't have been taken. They wouldn't be here in Ireland. Chibs wouldn't have had to even face Fiona again. Though she was glad he got Kerrianne back.

"Something on your mind?" she heard from her left. She looked up to see Kellan Ashby looking down at her.

"Just thinking about just desserts."

"Needing to ask for absolution?" he asked.

"Not so much," she said airily. "What about you, father?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you knew that Izzy was attached to SAMCRO. If you knew the life she lead. Would you have helped her deliver Callum and just walked away? Or would you have taken an infant boy from his loving mother's breast?"

"I would have done what was best for the boy," he said.

"I thought as much," Gemma said with a purse of her lips. "You would have taken a boy I consider a surrogate grandson, and made him disappear."

"You and your family are caught up in a very chaotic world. We both know this. But the things I do are not just about my Irish loyalty. They're about keeping promises to your family," he explained.

"To my family?" she asked bewildered.

"John and I grew very close while he was here. I loved him dearly."

"Guess you're the one who granted him absolution from adultery?"

"No," the priest said. "He struggled greatly with his love for you."

"John bailed on his family," Gemma bit out. "I watched my baby slip into a coma while he was here playing house with your sister. So don't tell me how he struggled."

"I didn't mean to be dismissive of your pain. I understand you feel-"

"You don't understand shit!" she cut him off. Gemma shook her head and got up. "Hypocrites. All of you."

o0o o0o o0o

"How's the family?" Gemma asked Chibs.

"Yeah, they're okay. Sirius and his boys, and Juice are on 'em. If I'm not there, I want a patch on them from now on," he demanded.

"You got it," Clay said.

"We got one half of the equation. Time to get the other half."

"I'll make the call. Set up a meet within the next week."

"Done deal. Our problems are solved and we're riding the gravy train on biscuit wheels come this time next week," Clay said.

o0o o0o o0o

Stahl was guzzling down two fingers of whiskey when her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number, but answered anyway.

"Hello?"

"Got a proposition for you. But I'm going to need a couple of things from you first," Jax said into the phone.

"What do you have that I could possibly want?" she sneered.

"Jimmy O'Phalen."

The line went quiet as Stahl was shocked into speechlessness. "I can get him to you. Alive. But I need amnesty. I don't care about the club. I just want to raise my son in peace."

"And why the change of heart?" she asked skeptically.

"I'm in Belfast. We had a run today. Jimmy tried to blow us sky high today. Most of us made it out. Four others are spread out over a farm outside Dungloe. I don't want this for Abel. It's too dangerous for me, let alone my kid."

Stahl thought for a moment. She could swing Jax. Only Jax. Lucky for her it seems that was all he was asking. "You get him back in one piece, I'll see your terms are met."

"Five days from now. On 18 just past the third mile marker outside of town," he said. Stahl nodded.

"Why so long?" she asked. She needed career boost ASAP.

"Gotta get him stateside without being caught first. Also, we have a wedding to go to," he said before hanging up.

Stahl looked at her phone, stunned before putting it down. He must be talking about Izzy and Chibs. Only engaged couple in the SOA. Must mean they found her. Stahl shrugged her shoulders. She'd give them this. But once they returned state side and she had both Jimmy O and her career back, she would get that smarmy uppity bitch for the headaches she caused her. For the first time in months, Stahl slept peacefully.


	11. Firinne

_**A**_ ** _/N 5/4/2020:Just realized it is taking me three times as long to finish this season than it is to post the last two combined. I better buckle down. As it is, there's only one or two more chapters, and then I plan on going back and fixing and reuploading things. That means I'll need a beta. Anyone interested? PM me. From here, we have the long awaited wedding and some much missed Chibs and Bella love. Hope y'all enjoy._ _~Angel_ **

Liam O'Neill knew he was in deep shit. The two fucking Englishmen took him somewhere hooded, so he didn't know where he was, and left him there. But occasionally, if he quieted his breathing just enough, he could hear them talking. And the talk, as of late, was nothing good or in his favor. It seemed Jimmy had blown the barn the Army was using as a supply store. O'Neill had to admit that it was good that he wasn't privy to that plan, or had a part in it, as it seemed young Padraic had died. Chibs would be out for blood.

But that didn't mean that his blood wouldn't soon be running. And he had managed to fall on the wrong side of the line on this one, tossing his lot in with Jimmy. And now here he was, practically waiting for his execution. He betrayed the club. And in a way that got the son of the mother charter's VP kidnapped. They weren't going to let him meet Mr. Mayhem. He'd just be shot and dumped after they tortured all of the information they could get out of him.

He had seen Sean Casey work. He was pretty sure he could withstand a good bit of his torture before he started spilling his guts. But he would eventually. It all depended on the amount of pain he would let himself go through before he broke. His breathing picked up at the thought. It is in the human condition that we shy away from pain. Not just the feelings and thoughts, but just the mention by someone else of torture, and the rest reactively cringe. So to be left alone with such thoughts were driving O'Neill slowly around the twist.

If he knew someone other than Sean Casey was going to administering the torture, he might have thought twice on how long he would have been able to last under such pain. That 'good bit' would shrink down to 'barely any' faster than the thought would have passed his mind.

o0o o0o o0o

"Sean's going to have a go at O'Neill, but I'm going to be the one having the fun," Liam said to the assembled group, which new included Jasper with a prospect's rocker on a clean Kutte on his back. "He wasn't happy when he heard that Sam Crow already had Jimmy stashed away and weren't talking. This little bit of fun with the traitor and getting his hands on Donny will go a long way to cooling that fire he has over Micheal's death."

Clay nodded. "He can have that. We won't stand in the way. We're going to have to do it in a time crunch though. I don't think there is a man here who wants to face Izzy's wrath for missing her wedding."

"Not the hell I'd catch if I missed it," Chibs joked. "Speaking of, I'm going to miss out on that one. I've got to get ready myself for this evenin'."

"You sure you want to do that brother? Just so you can get pretty?" Liam questioned. "I'm sure little Bella wouldn't mind if you showed up covered in the blood of the ones who caused you so much stress."

Chibs laughed, but the stress lines on his face showed, just as Liam said, the hard hits of the past couple of days. "Aye, true. But your own old lady, Siobhan?" Liam nodded. "She's one scary lady when she's planning something, and I'm marrying Izzy… which says something." The men laughed and it all broke up.

o0o o0o o0o

Jax found Angela with Izzy and the other club women in the SAMBEL clubhouse, decorating for after. He watched her for a moment. Talking with Izzy and Gemma with Abel in her arms, his legs dangling just over her barely showing baby bump. It filled his heart to bursting, to see his family together and happy. **Safe** , together, and happy. It was a combination that he hadn't had until these two girls shouldered their way into the club.

He walked up and wrapped his arms around his woman and son, the free hand cupping Abel's head while he kissed his Angel's temple.

"Marry me?" he whispered into her ear. Angela looked up at him stunned before a smirk made a way to her lips and one of her eyebrows arched.

"That's it? That's the proposal your going with?" she said teasingly, and with mock incredulity.

"Figured I had all I need with the family here, and the way I feel for you, I didn't need anything fancier," he chuckled. Angela's features softened.

"If you feel that way, how about a double wedding? I got a dress that'll do, and we can figure out the ring problem when we get home," she said, turning to Jax, then Bella. Bella nodded. A silent acquiescence to the idea. Their attention was then caught by Gemma.

"I've got you covered, baby," she said, walking up to Jax and holding out her hand. Jax placed his underneath hers, and into his palm she dropped two rings.

"Your's and dad's rings?" he said in surprise. Gemma nodded.

"I've been planning on giving them to you for a while. Just waiting on the right time. Seems it found us," she explained. He smiled and turned to Angela, who smiled back.

"Seems we're all set," she said with a beaming smile. Jax gave her his signature grin and kissed her passionately.

o0o o0o o0o

Clay's phone rang, and saw it was Rosen. Raising a questioning eyebrow, he answered.

"Yeah?"

"Clay, it's Rosen. I got an update here I think you ought to be aware of," Rosen said.

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"Seems some new evidence came up in Otto's case. A long lost video that proves he was in another part of the prison when his last supposed victim was killed."

"And where did this long lost video come from? How did it make it's way to you?" Clay asked suspiciously.

"A lawyer from Washington. Says he's going through the case for someone named Isabella Swan. He seems to have managed to wrestle the video from a corrupt judge, the same judge that tried Otto in the first place, coincidentally enough, and get the assault charge from Stahl overturned. It seems she had provoked him. He have her on tape threatening his wife in one of their interviews."

Clay stood stunned for a moment. "How long has this lawyer been working on this? Those aren't things you find over night," he asked.

"It seems Ms. Swan had her lawyer looking into the matter since before her abduction a couple weeks ago. Since we haven't heard anything on her location or well being, he forwarded the information to me, and I am now giving the info to you," Rosen explained.

Clay nodded in understanding. "You can tell her lawyer we've found her and she is very much alive and safe. I will pass on the info since we're all here in Ireland for her wedding. Any idea when Otto could be out?"

"I'd give it another month or two on the outside. If things continue on the fast track they're on now though, I'd say it's a matter for a couple weeks rather than a couple of months."

"Does Luann know?" Clay asked.

"I wasn't sure if I could tell her. I wanted to call you and see if this was all legit first."

"Tell her," Clay said. "Izzy's legit and so is the lawyer."

"Will do. Congratulations, Clay. Seems you're getting a brother back."

o0o o0o o0o

Chibs hung up the phone, having just called his sister and telling her about Paddy's death. He took the half smoked cig out of his mouth and blew a thick cloud out in sadness and frustration. The door opened and Izzy made her way in, immediately going to him and sitting on his lap; combing her fingers through his hair in comfort.

"Who has the boy?" he asked her softly.

"Charlie wanted some quality time with his grandson. Told him to stay within sight of Gemma. Didn't want him to pass on any bad habits," she said with a teasing smile. Chibs gave his own, but it was only half a smile, and didn't dim the sadness in his eyes at all.

"You call your sister then?" she asked. Chibs nodded.

"She was devastated, as any mother. She blames the life, and I'm sure she blames me a little as well. Padraic always did have a small case of hero worship for me."

Izzy shook her head. "Padraic's decisions were his own. Yes, I believed he took after you, but after a while, you get to love the club. The life. Trust me, I speak from personal experience."

Chibs put their foreheads together and breathed her in. This amazing young woman who swept into his life and razed it before she rebuilt it.

"Do you want to wait on the wedding? Give you time to grieve Paddy?" she asked.

Chibs's reaction was damn near violent. "No! No," he said, gentling his tone. "I've waited long enough, and if we wait any longer… Lord only knows what bad luck we'd be courting if we wait. The boys and SAMBEL are holding a wake for Padraic and the others tonight to say goodbye, so I'll do it then. I gave my word of my sister to send her boy back to her for a proper burial. We'll send him off to her in the morning and then in the afternoon, I'm going to make you mine."

Izzy kissed his forehead. "Jax and Angela will be joining us at the altar. Seems Jax is of the same mind."

Chibs actually gives a happy chuckle at this. "Yeah, the men in the club seem to be wising up. Find a good woman and hook her."

Izzy laughed too, and proceeded to kiss Chib as if she couldn't get enough.

o0o o0o o0o

The wake was a solemn affair. 5 brothers to send off, among them, Chibs's nephew. Izzy had only managed a couple of conversations with the younger man, but liked him. He was a lot like his uncle. A bit more of a rake than she would have liked, but he liked the fact that she was able to make his uncle Filip happy.

When it was her and Chibs's turn to go up to see him, he placed his own St. Christopher medal with him, and Izzy placed one of Callum's SOA baby hats with him.

"Thank you for protecting us," she said to the fallen man. "So you'll have a piece of family with you, nephew. Find rest."

She led Chibs away and found him a glass of scotch. "Just one, babe. It'll help, but you need to feel."

Jasper came up behind her. "I'll keep an eye on him, Izzy. Talk it out. Why don't you go have a girl's night?"

"Are you sure?" she asked him. Jasper nodded.

"Go. Maybe I can whip him into some kind of shape before y'all get hitched tomorrow." Izzy nodded at him with a smile, and kissed Chibs goodbye.

"I love you," she whispers against his lips.

"Aye, lass. And I you." She then straightened and gave Jasper a hug.

"Thank you, brother." Jasper wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace firmly, but gently.

She pulled back and saw that Jasper had suspiciously moist eyes. "This is more than I could have wished for when I came to find you."

Izzy studied his face for a while before she spoke. "I forgive you. For a while now. You know that, right?" A tear finally fell, and he brought her back in for a hug.

"Thank you, Izzy." They took another moment before he pulled away and he started pushing her towards the door. "Alright, enough of this. Go. Have fun with the girls. I'm going to gather the guys and get your man good and drunk."

"I need him sober enough to marry, Jay," she said.

"Don't worry. The man drinks like a fish on a normal day, I think I'll be hard pressed to even give him a hang over."

He pushed her out the door to find Angela, Donna, and Gemma. Before she let her feet move though, she took out her phone and dialed. Another number from history. It was answered on the fourth or fifth ring.

"Hello?" asked a rough voice on the other end. Izzy took a breath.

"Emmett." Silence. "I got your gift."

"I-I… I just-" he stammered.

"I know. I've recently come to a decision," she said.

"Yeah?" he asked timidly, but with curiosity.

"Mmm. We used to be really close, Em. There is history there. Just as it is with Jasper. I considered both of you my brothers when we were together in Forks. I gave Carlisle and Rose a chance because they weren't there to put a stop to it. They had no hand in my torture." She heard Emmett choke on his end. "Alice and Edward have paid for their crimes. I gave Jasper and chance when he reached out. It would be hypocrisy not to give you the same chance now that you are asking for it. Jasper worked his debt free. I've forgiven him. This is me giving you the same chance. You come to Charming. You'll be my new errand boy until I determine you've worked your way out of it. Jasper earned his saving my nephew of sorts. Because I'm still in the MC life, I'm sure more instances will pop up. Help me protect my son, my family, and I'll forgive you as well."

Izzy could practically hear the excited smile on his face as he answered. "I'll be on the next flight and meet you there! You won't regret this, Bella. I-"

"Izzy. I go by Izzy now," she corrected him. Emmett's enthusiasm calmed a bit.

"Izzy. I'll get approval from Carlisle, and meet you and your new man in Charming," he tells her.

"Until then, Emmett."

o0o o0o o0o

Izzy found the other women gathering in Siobhan's kitchen. All were wearing party clothes and making themselves ready. She was ambushed by Angela, Donna, and Rose, all ushering her into a spare room to put on her outfit and fix her hair. She ended up in a comfortable light blue sundress with a loose and lazy braid tied off in a ribbon hanging over her shoulder. Her make up was light, nothing more than some eyeliner and mascara and light pink gloss on her lips, with a light dusting of blush to give her some coloring.

"Perfect!" Angela declared. "Now, for entertainment."

Izzy looked at her best friend a bit bemused as she was dragged _back_ to the clubhouse. "We girls have decided that the most fun we can have is to tease our men."

Fifteen minutes later, Izzy stood behind a makeshift curtain as the music began to play. She wasn't a fan of pop to begin with, but she figured the lyrics of the song got the point across pretty well. Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman started to play and her hips swayed back and forth as the curtain pulled aside. She moved as sensuously as she felt, and locked eyes with her man. Charlie, not wanting to see his little girl like that, but knowing he couldn't stop it, only turned his head to the side and his attention to the woman in his lap. Some local hanger on. Izzy, who had spun herself impressively on the pole, slid seductively down and began to crawl towards him. His eyes were riveted on her as she stepped out, and he hardened when she began to spin and dance. He moaned when she made her way to his lap, not stopping her dance, just changing how, and kissed him passionately.

"Carlisle and Rose gave me the all clear," she whispered in his ear. Earlier in the day, she had asked if it was safe for her to have sex. Carlisle said he would normally ask the new mother not to engage in sex for a couple three weeks, but said that he would be willing to have Rose to check her over to see how she was feeling, and yes, while she had some tenderness, it felt like she had already gone through a thorough fucking already. Carlisle said it was amazing her rebounding from such pain, but insisted she and Chibs take it easy and on birth control.

Chibs pulled back and looked her in the eye, and she nodded. "So long as we take it easy." He surged forward and kissed her as he picked her up and began walking blindly to their room in the SAMBEL clubhouse. He slipped the dresses thin straps from her shoulders and gently lay her down as he kissed her. Her hands roamed his chest as he removed his kutte and the shirt beneath it, curving to his back and pulling him closer. This was the first time they'd have been together fully since before her abduction. He slipped his hand down to her perfect clit and gave it a test. She moaned in pure ecstasy, throwing her head back and pushing her full breasts into his face.

He licked one nipple, blowing on the wet little peak, and causing the pleasure to rise even higher for Izzy. The slowness of it all was driving her mad. Her hands fumbled with his belt and the button of his pants. Once it was open, she dove her hand in and clasped his cock. His head fell onto her shoulders as he felt her take him, but he wanted more. She wanted more. And the other knew it. Wasting no time, Chibs divested himself of the rest of his clothing and entered her slowly. She stiffened a bit as she was stretched. The tender muscles reacquainting themselves to being used. They both shuddered in pleasure and completion. Finally.

Their breathing picked up as he began to move inside her. Her nails scratching down his back as he thrust into her. He brought one hand up and cradled the side of her face. "Tomorrow will see you mine in the eyes of God, Mo ghràdh, but you _are_ my wife. I know because of how you respond to this," he said, pushing into her slowly, "And this," his hand moving now to her newly empty womb that once held their son. "But most importantly, this." His had traveled back up to her chest, resting right over her heart.

She looked right into his eyes as he continued to thrust into her. She too rested her hand above his own heart. "We are one, Filip. From the moment you first kissed me, I have been yours. And I wouldn't have it any… other..." her breathing picked up as her climax neared. It had snuck up on her unexpectedly. "Oh! Oh, yes! YES FILIP! AAAHHH!" she all but screamed as her orgasm tore through her, radiating out from her very being.

Chibs risked going a little faster. Seeing Izzy to her end would always incite him, and seeing her face as her hot little cunt gripped him, saw him releasing into her for the first time in weeks. The completion both felt just then was indescribable. Chibs rolled to the side so he wouldn't cause her any unintentional harm and gathered her to him.

"Way," she breathed into his chest. He chuckled as she finished her thought.

o0o o0o o0o

The next morning was a hive of activity. They had seen Padraic off at first light. Izzy holding Chibs's hand the whole time. Then both men and women ushered either Izzy or Chibs off to get ready. There wasn't much to do on Chibs's side. No tuxes were needed, but they all did make sure to touch up the leather of their kuttes, and the groom himself made sure to put on a brand new clean pair of dark jeans and a clean button up beneath.

Izzy was put into a blush colored knee length sweetheart sleeveless dress. Everyone agreed it would be best to show off her crow and her breasts to their best advantage. And they were right of course. Her hair was put into loose curls and hung loosely down her back, the sides pinned back, out of her face. Which held the same amount of make up as the previous night.

Then everything turned around to make sure Jax and Angela was ready. Angela wearing a dress similar to Izzy's, only it hung off one shoulder, was more silver and had more crystals sewn into it where Izzy's had more floral embroidery and lace.

Gemma was taking care of both Able and Callum with Donna. Both having taken their seats at the front. Izzy and Angela made it down the aisle in one piece. Angela being handed off by Clay, and Izzy by Charlie. Neither Jax nor Chibs could describe how they saw their women. Both were breathtaking and each would swear his woman was the more beautiful of the two.

"Brothers and sisters," said the justice. "We are gathered here before the Almighty to join these two couples in holy matrimony. Jackson and Angela. Filip and Isabella. I cannot ask if you would keep each other through good times and bad, because you've more than proven that you will. As I understand it, the four of you have your own vows. Jackson. Angela. If you would?"

Angela and Jax turned to each other. "Angel," Jax said. "I was captivated by you the moment I saw you running up to Izzy when you first arrived. The way you took to my son, the way you've integrated and helped my club and family. All just added to your beauty and captivated me even more. I love you. I will always love you. And after today, you giving me the chance, I'll make you happy you did." Chibs elbowed Jax. Not quite time for the last vow. Angela and chuckled, knowing the vow.

"Jackson, it was easy to love your family. Both brothers and blood. Though I must admit, I fell in love with your son first," Angela said, causing everyone to chuckle. But you, you charming man, stole into my heart and stayed there. So, I promise to stay with you. To take care of you. And to smack you upside the head should you start acting like an idiot."

"Amen, sister," Gemma could be heard saying.

The Justice turned to the second couple. "Filip. Isabella?"

"Filip? My protector, lover, and match. We've been through some tough patches you and me. Not limited to being blown up and abducted. But here we are. We've made it! We have a son. And a family. And finally, Finally! We are all safe." She says this last as her hand comes up to his cheek, her thumb brushing one of his scars. He turns his head and kisses said thumb, before she drops her hand.

And now it was his turn. "Izzy, Mo ghràdh. I can only say I love you. I am addicted to you and I will not let you go." Izzy chuckled.

It was Jax's turn to elbow Chibs. Now was the time. Both smiled at their brides, and in tandem said, "And I promise to treat you as good as my/me leather, and ride you as much as my/me Harley!"

There were wolf whistles and shouts of laughter as they finished. Izzy and Angela broke out laughing. "By the power vested in my by this lovely green land, I now pronounce you man and wife. Kiss the brides gents!"

More shouts and hoots of laughter as Jax picked Angela clean up off the ground in his enthusiasm, and Chibs dipped his bride into a passionate kiss.

"Let's party!" Clay shouted.


End file.
